Collection Online as of June 1, 2023

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

Part of a set. See all set records

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.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Script: Thulth

Inscription

(text on the previous page, leaf 2f, Harvard University Art Museums, 1960.186) In the hands of his slaves and of his friends are:/ Spear and sword, javelin and pen./ Ever all roasted at his table are:/ Ox and fish, camel and horse and sheep./ Ocean and mine have showered on his presence:/ Pearl and ruby, coined gold and silver/ The minstrels at his banquet bear in their hands:/ Lute and harp, rebec, pipe and tambourine./ Making the garden of his pleasure their homeland are:/ Rosebush and box-tree, cypress and elm./ Prey to hawk and prey to his cheetah are:/ Vulture and sīmurgh, elephant and rhinoceros./ Sun and Moon, Venus and Mercury are at his feast:/ Falcon-drum and goblet, bowl and candlestick./ Overwhelming the corpses of his foes are:/ Porcupine and stork, raven and kite.

Provenance

?-1945

Hagop Kevorkian [1872–1962], New York, NY, ?-1945, to the Cleveland Museum of Art

1945-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 1945-present

Citations

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.

Exhibition history

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).

Islamic Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 1944-February 2, 1945).

Persian Miniatures. The Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL (organizer) (April 9-May 9, 1963).

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).