Flying angel, Iran or Turkey, 19th century Drawing on paper in black ink with gold highlights depicting an angel with outstretched wings, holding a dish from which flames are escaping. She is dressed in a long drapery with two long ribbons. Two illuminated spandrels furnish the upper corners and two Persian nasta'liq epigraphic cartouches crown the design. Mounted on an album page with mauve and orange borders on ebru marbled card stock. On the back, calligraphic composition in nasta'liq chekasté with multidirectional lines in red and black inks, surrounded by blue and mauve colored borders. Drawing size: 19.3 x 13.1 cm; calligraphy size: 16.8 x 10.7 cm; page size: 33.2 x 21.9 cm A few stains, wear and small chips, small tears and edge repairs. The flying angel carrying a dish of flames is a common feature of Islamic iconography. They are depicted, for example, in the painted scenes of the Mira'j, the Night Journey of the Prophet Muhammad. This drawing evokes the work of the great Tabrizi master Shah Quli, as does the drawing of a kneeling angel attributed to him and kept at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington (F 1933.6). The style is steeped in Chinese influences, and the elegance of the figure with its serrated wings evokes the saz leaves of the Ottoman repertoire.