"The Mouse Gnaws the Net Imprisoning the Doves", 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
1981.373.56
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio, titled *The Mouse Gnaws the Net Imprisoning the D*, comes from a 16th-century illustrated manuscript of *Kalila Dimna*, a timeless collection of animal fables from ancient Indian tales into Arabic and Persian traditions. Dating to the second quarter of the 16th century—likely during the Safavid era in Persia—this page captures a pivotal moment in one of the book's moral stories: a clever mouse gnaws through a net to free trapped doves, symbolizing unlikely alliances and the power of small acts of kindness. Rendered in ink and opaque watercolor on paper, the artwork exemp...