The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Illuminated Folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)

Illuminated Folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)

about 1475–1500; border: about 1550
(Iranian, 1430–1520)
Iran
Gum tempera, ink, gold, and silver on paper
Overall: 30 x 19 cm (11 13/16 x 7 1/2 in.); Text area: 16.1 x 9.6 cm (6 5/16 x 3 3/4 in.)
Gift of William Kelly Simpson in memory of his wife Marilyn M. Simpson and her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 2006.148.b
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The silver blooms and streams of water have tarnished and darkened over time.

Description

In the border surrounding the Persian poetical text, deer and a lion coexist peacefully in a forest. This imagery may reference the rule of a righteous king.

The text is from the Gulistan, one of the most celebrated works of Persian literature, completed around 1258. Gulistan means “Rose Garden” in Persian; just as a rose garden is a collection of flowers, the contents are a collection of anecdotes. This page is from the section “On the Conduct of Kings.”
  • ?–2006
    William Kelly Simpson [1928–2017], Katonah, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2006–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Canby, Sheila R. The Golden Age of Persian Art: 1501-1722. London: British Museum, 2008. Mentioned: pp. 58–59.
  • Nature Supernatural (Indian Painting rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 22, 2023-March 3, 2024).
  • {{cite web|title=Illuminated Folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)|url=false|author=Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi|year=about 1475–1500; border: about 1550|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2006.148.b