Aquatic Scene with Three Men in a Gondola
Unknown Artist
late 16th–early 17th century
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Page: H. 15 3/4 in. (40 cm) W. 10 7/8in. (27.6cm) Painting: H. 9 1/4 in. (23.5 cm) W. 7 1/4in. (18.4cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Margaret Mushekian Gift, 1985
Accession Number
1985.35
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate folio, *Aquatic Scene with Three Men in a Gondola*,ails from the late 16th to 17th century and the refined artistry of Islamic manuscript illumination. As a page from a cod in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic collection, it captures a serene watery tableau with three figures in a slender boat, rendered in ink, opaque watercolor, shimmering gold on paper. Measuring just 9¼ by 7¼ inches for the painting itself, its intimate scale invites close contemplation, much like the personal albums or illustrated books cherished by scholars and elites of the Safavid or Mughal courts. ...