Folio from the Bellini Album

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the Islamic Art galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we encounter the exquisite *Folio from the Bell Album*, created by an unknown artist around 1600. This delicate page, measuring just 7⅞ by 5¼ inches, hails from a codex—a bound manuscript tradition central to Islamic culture. Its classification as an ornamental work highlights the album's role as a treasured collection of artistic folios, often compiled by connoisseurs to showcase masterful designs. Crafted with ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, the folio exemplifies the opulent techniques of Persianate illu...