Collection Online as of January 22, 2021

Folio from a Persian Manafi‘ al-Hayawan (The Benefits of Animals) of Abu Said Ubaid-Allah ibn Jibrail ibn Bakhtishu (died 1058–68) (recto)

Iran, Maragah, Ilkhanid period

(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.a

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.

Inscriptions

Inscription

script: Naskh (text), Kufi (heading)

Provenance

?-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

Exhibition history

Islamic art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 18, 2014-December 14, 2015).

Arts of Iran (Islamic art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 2018-October 28, 2019).