The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of March 28, 2024
Folio from a Persian Manafi‘ al-Hayawan (The Benefits of Animals) of Abu Said Ubaid-Allah ibn Jibrail ibn Bakhtishu (died 1058–68) (recto)
c. 1300
(1256–1353)
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.- ?-1945Purchased from H. Kevorkian, New York, NY, using income from the J.H. Wade Fund, with a partial donation by H. Kevorkian1945-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Wise, Deborah Sue. Ustād Mansur: the Artist and the Legend. 1975.
- Arts of Iran (Islamic art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 2018-October 28, 2019).Islamic art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 18, 2014-December 14, 2015).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) (recto)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1300|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1945.382.a