Muhammad Rizavi

Muhammad Rizavi was an artist documented as active during the mid-18th century, with his known professional period spanning the years 1755 to 1764. His surviving artistic output comprises seven paintings and one related folio work represented in museum collections.

Rizavi’s work demonstrates proficiency in figural compositions and narrative scenes, focusing on both courtly life and devotional practices. These Muhammad Rizavi paintings and drawings are distinguished by the frequent use of double-sided folios, often combining detailed pictorial representations on the recto with extensive calligraphy on the verso.

His works are exclusively held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Key examples of his subject matter include the depiction of religious rituals in A Night Scene of Shiva Puja, often paired with finely executed Calligraphy on the reverse. Rizavi also produced detailed illustrations of aristocratic domesticity and leisure, as seen in the paintings Court Lady Pouring Wine (recto) and Court lady singing and playing the vina.

The textual components of his folios confirm a strong connection to classical Persian literature, such as the verso featuring Calligraphy from a ghazal of Fakhr al-Din Iraqi (Persian, 1213–1289) and a verse from the Tuhfat al-ahrar (The Gift of the Free) of Abd al-Rahman Jami. While the originals are preserved in the collection, these historical pieces are frequently reproduced as high-quality prints for study and appreciation.