The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

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

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

c. 1475–1500; border: c. 1550
(Iranian, 1430–1520)
Afghanistan, Herat, Timurid period (1370–1501)
Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper
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.)
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.a
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The exquisite border was painted in gold and silver that has tarnished 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.”
  • ?–2006
    William Kelly Simpson [1928–2017], Katonah, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2006–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Canby, Sheila R. The Golden Age of Persian Art: 1501-1722. London: British Museum, 2008. Mentioned: pp. 58–59.
  • Arts of Iran (Islamic art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 2018-October 28, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Illuminated Folio (recto) from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)|url=false|author=Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi|year=c. 1475–1500; border: c. 1550|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2006.148.a