Page of Calligraphy from a from a Kalila wa Dimna
Unknown Artist
second quarter 16th century
Medium
Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
Overall: H. 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm) W. 8 7/8 in. (22.6 cm) Average text size: H. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm) W. 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Alice and Nasli Heeramaneck Collection, Gift of Alice Heeramaneck, 1981
Accession Number
1981.373.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite page of Arabic calligraphy hails from a 16th-century manuscript ofKalila wa Dimna*, a timeless collection of animal fables adapted from ancient Indian tales into Arabic by Ibn al-Muqaffa' in the 8th. Popular across the Islamic world, these moral stories—much like Aesop's fables—were lavishly copied and illustrated in codices, blending wisdom with artistry. Produced the second quarter of the1500s, this leaf reflects the peak of Persianate manuscript traditions, where text was not mere words but a visual symphony. Crafted with ink and vibrant opaque watercolors on paper, the page...