The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Front and back of a vertically oriented book page with bands of black, gold, and orange text (see "Inscriptions") alternating with bands depicting rows of animals, plants, and objects such as weapons, musical instruments, and jewels. Most have backgrounds the cream of the paper, but some have an orange-red and one a peach orange background. Plants dot the background of each illustrated band.

Animals, Precious Stones, Coins, and Musical Instruments (recto); Animals, Birds, and Plants (verso) from a Mu'nis al-Ahrar fi Daqa'iq al-Ash'ar (The Free Men's Companion to the Subtleties of Poems) of Muhammad Ibn Badr al-Din Jajarmi (active 1340s)

c. 1341

Iran, Shiraz, Ilkhanid period

(1256-1353)
opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Overall: 19.7 x 13.5 cm (7 3/4 x 5 5/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1945.385
Location: Not on view

Description

This is one of several pages that were removed from a unique manuscript of this otherwise unknown work, which bears a colophon stating that it was written by the author and finished "Ramadan, 741" (February 1341). Illustrations on both sides include various animals, trees, and objects such as weapons, musical instruments, and jewels.
  • ?–1945
    Hagop Kevorkian [1872–1962], New York, NY, to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1945–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Swietochowski, Marie Lukens, and Stefano Carboni. Illustrated Poetry and Epic Images: Persian Painting of the 1330s and 1340s. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994. Reproduced: cat. no. 3 a-h, pp. 30–33
    ElSaffar, Amir. “The Iraqui Maqam: Singer Hamid Al-Saadi and ensemble celebrate a centuries-old tradition.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 60, no. 1 (January/February 2020): 10–11. Reproduced: p. 11 archive.org
  • Illustrated Poetry and Epic Images: Persian Painting of the 1330s and 1340s. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (February 1-May 1, 1994).
    The Cleveland Tuti-Nama Manuscript and the Origins of Mughal Painting. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9-December 19, 1976); The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, IL (January 12-February 27, 1977).
    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=Animals, Precious Stones, Coins, and Musical Instruments (recto); Animals, Birds, and Plants (verso) from a Mu'nis al-Ahrar fi Daqa'iq al-Ash'ar (The Free Men's Companion to the Subtleties of Poems) of Muhammad Ibn Badr al-Din Jajarmi (active 1340s)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1341|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1945.385