The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Qualities of Ringdoves (recto); On the Benefits of Quails (verso), from a Persian Manafi‘ al-Hayawan (The Benefits of Animals) of Abu Said Ubaid-Allah ibn Jibrail ibn Bakhtishu (died 1058–68)

Qualities of Ringdoves (recto); On the Benefits of Quails (verso), from a Persian Manafi‘ al-Hayawan (The Benefits of Animals) of Abu Said Ubaid-Allah ibn Jibrail ibn Bakhtishu (died 1058–68)

c. 1300
(1256–1353)
opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Image: 10.2 x 9 cm (4 x 3 9/16 in.); Overall: 24.7 x 18.2 cm (9 3/4 x 7 3/16 in.); Text area: 22.2 x 16.5 cm (8 3/4 x 6 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1945.382
Location: not on view

Description

This small illustration of ringdoves incorporates the influence of Chinese naturalism in the drawing of the tree trunk and lotus blossom. In contrast, the reverse side is more traditional. The innovative page layouts feature cursive nashki script with bold angular kufic script headings. Derived from Aristotelian sources, this treatise deals with the physical characteristics and organs of animals. The text was translated into Persian from Arabic for the Ilkhanid ruler Ghazan Khan (reigned 1295–1304). Roughly a dozen pages from this long-lost manuscript are known. It is dated by comparison with a similar manuscript made at Maragha, near Tabriz, in 1297 or 1299.
  • ?-1945
    Purchased from H. Kevorkian, New York, NY, using income from the J.H. Wade Fund, with a partial donation by H. Kevorkian
    1945-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Wise, Deborah Sue. Ustād Mansur: the Artist and the Legend. 1975.
  • Islamic art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 15, 2014-December 14, 2015). (1945.382.a only)
    Persian Miniatures. The Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL (organizer) (April 9-May 9, 1963).
    Islamic Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 1944-February 2, 1945).
  • {{cite web|title=Qualities of Ringdoves (recto); On the Benefits of Quails (verso), from a Persian Manafi‘ al-Hayawan (The Benefits of Animals) of Abu Said Ubaid-Allah ibn Jibrail ibn Bakhtishu (died 1058–68)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1300|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1945.382