The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 13, 2024

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

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

c. 1300
Image: 10.7 x 6 cm (4 3/16 x 2 3/8 in.); Overall: 24.7 x 18.2 cm (9 3/4 x 7 3/16 in.); Text area: 22.5 x 16.5 cm (8 7/8 x 6 1/2 in.)
Location: not on view

Description

The Benefits of Animals describes the physical characteristics of many different animals and provides their medicinal uses at the time. Most of the text on this page is a continuation of a section about doves from the previous page. It says, for example, that blood from dove wings cures sore eyes and cooked dove egg mixed with honey and a little borax is good for those with liver complaints. The large title written in Kufic script near the bottom of the page translates as “The Quail and its Qualities and Benefits,” marking the beginning of the next section. The illustration depicts two quails in active postures.

The Mongol ruler of Iran from 1295 to 1304, Ghazan Khan, commissioned a Persian translation of the Arabic text, and this important page is from one of the earliest illustrated manuscripts.
  • ?-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.
  • Persian Miniatures. The Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL (organizer) (April 9-May 9, 1963).
  • {{cite web|title=Folio from a Persian Manafi‘ al-Hayawan (The Benefits of Animals) of Abu Said Ubaid-Allah ibn Jibrail ibn Bakhtishu (died 1058–68) (verso)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1300|access-date=13 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

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