Artwork Page for Illuminated folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)

Details / Information for Illuminated folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)

Illuminated folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)

about 1475–1500; border: about 1550

Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi

(Iranian, 1430–1520)
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Culture
Iran
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper
Measurements
Overall: 30 x 19 cm (11 13/16 x 7 1/2 in.); Text area: 16.1 x 9.6 cm (6 5/16 x 3 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William Kelly Simpson in memory of his wife Marilyn M. Simpson and her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr. 2006.148.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

The silver blooms and streams of water have tarnished and darkened over time.

Description

In the border surrounding the Persian poetical text, deer and a lion coexist peacefully in a forest. This imagery may reference the rule of a righteous king.

The text is from the Gulistan, one of the most celebrated works of Persian literature, completed around 1258. Gulistan means “Rose Garden” in Persian; just as a rose garden is a collection of flowers, the contents are a collection of anecdotes. This page is from the section “On the Conduct of Kings.”
A vertically oriented manuscript page features a central rectangular panel with black Persian script on horizontal lines. Wide borders decorated with gold floral patterns and trees surround the panel. Integrated into the golden foliage are animal figures, including a leaping horned creature at the top and a reclining lion to the right. Dark blossoms punctuate the golden trees at the top and bottom edges against a tan paper background.

Illuminated folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)

about 1475–1500; border: about 1550

Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi

(Iranian, 1430–1520)
Iran

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