"The Flight of the Tortoise", Folio 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
1981.373.41
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Flight of the Tortoise*, a captivating folio from a 16th-century manuscript of *Kalila wa Dimna*, a renowned collection of animal fables adapted from ancient Indian tales into Persian literature. Dating to the second quarter of the 1500s, this page illustrates a whimsical yet moralistic scene featuring birds, men, and a turtle—likely depicting the fable where a tortoise, carried aloft by geese on a stick, meets a fateful end due to its own folly. Such stories, rich in wisdom and satire, were popular in Islamic courts, blending entertainment with ethical lessons. Crafted with ink o...