"The Queen Ilar (Irakht) Before the King Warning him About the Brahmins (?)", 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
1981.373.96
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio, titled *"The Queen Ilar (Irakht) Before the Warning him About the Brah (?)"*, hails from a 16th-century manuscript ofKalila wa Dimna a beloved collection of animal fables adapted from ancient Indian tales like the *Panchatantra*. Popular across the Islamic world, these stories used clever beasts and human characters to impart moral lessons on wisdom, power, and intrigue. Created in the second quarter of the th century by an unknown artist, it exemplifies Persian or Deccani miniature painting traditions, where intricate illustrations accompanied poetic text. Rendered in i...