Illuminated folio (verso) from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)
calligraphy: c. 1475–1500; border: c. 1550
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper
Dimensions
30 × 19 cm · text area: 16.3 × 9.8 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of William Kelly Simpson in memory of his wife Marilyn M. Simpson and her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr.
Accession Number
2006.147.b
Tags
About this artwork
The border scene is set in a magical forest bursting with blossoms. At the top, a winged lion chases a winged deer, who is caught in the bottom border. The imagery of a lion biting down on its prey dates from the Achaemenid period in Iran (550–330 BCE) and references the valor of the king. A fox scurries off to the right. The verse is written in the Persian language using nastaliq script. Sultan ‘Ali Mashadi was widely renowned for perfecting the nastaliq script, and his calligraphy was a model ...