36 - ⊕ DIA AL AZZAWI (BRITISH / IRAQI B.1939)

⊕ DIA AL AZZAWI (BRITISH / IRAQI B.1939) MU'ALLAQA OF LABID IBN RABIA (FROM THE SEVEN GOLDEN ODES) signed and dated Dia Al Azzawi 1978 lower right in pencil; numbered 52/60 lower left; inscribed Note: an intem in the sale lower centre lithograph on paper 90 x 64.6cm (plate); 104.3 x 72.2cm (sheet); (99.9 x 77.8cm framed) Property of a Lady, London Provenance Acquired from a gallery in Amman, Jordan Al Azzawi began creating art at a young age, drawing illustration reproductions from magazines and scenes from his family life. This natural talent was encouraged and developed through his time at al-Markaziyyah high school from which he graduated in 1958. He then attended the College of Arts, Baghdad, completing his degree in archaeology in 1962. While there, Al Azzawi was encouraged by friends in the al-Marsam al-Hurr group (the Free Studio) to attend night classes at the Institute of Fine Art to continue his art studies, which he completed in 1964. His early work drew from many sources of inspiration, including the Sumerian figurine, visual motifs from popular culture and everyday life, and legends and folklore such as Gilgamesh and Imam Hussain. After Al Azzawi moved to London in 1976 to expand his practice and escape the increasingly oppressive Ba'thist state, he moved towards exploring the interaction of visuals and the written word through experimentations with poetry, such as the al-qaseedah al-marsumah or 'drawn poem'. The current lot comes from his celebrated depiction of the Mu'allaqat, or the Hanging Odes. In the eighth century, an Iraqi poetry reciter named Hammad al-Rawiya compiled seven famous pre-Islamic poems into a collection called the Mu'allaqat, or the Hanging Odes. Hammad was famous in Damascus and Baghdad for memorising and reciting these verses, which he had learned directly from Bedouin tribes in the Arabian desert. According to sixth-century legend, these poems were honoured during the Sacred Months of Peace. During this time, desert tribes paused their conflicts to attend an annual pilgrimage and market at the 'Ukaz fairgrounds near Mecca. Rival clans gathered to trade, feast, and listen to poets perform. The legend states that the seven winning poems were written in gold ink on Egyptian linen and hung from the Ka'ba in Mecca as trophies. While historians debate the truth of this story, the image of pre-Islamic poetry hanging from the holy shrine connects ancient desert traditions with later Islamic history. The seven poets became legendary figures, each remembered by a distinct moniker - the one written by Labid ("the Man with the Crooked Staff"), is highly revered for its calm, serene philosophy, distinct lack of bitter political allusions, and magnificent descriptions of nature and Bedouin life. Among the Mu'allaqat poets, Labid is unique because he is the only one who lived long into the Islamic era and accepted Islam. Following his conversion, he famously stopped composing poetry altogether, stating that the majesty of the Qur'an had replaced it for him. Al Azzawi's illustrated depiction of the Muallaqat is one of the most vibrant and complex examples of the artist's depiction of Iraq and the Arab world's pre-Islamic history and its influence on contemporary visual culture.