The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

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

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

calligraphy: c. 1475–1500; border: c. 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: 16.3 x 9.8 cm (6 7/16 x 3 7/8 in.)
Gift of William Kelly Simpson in memory of his wife Marilyn M. Simpson and her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 2006.147.a
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Words in gold ink mark new sections, while the main text is written in black.

Description

Silver and gold paints were used against an indigo blue background to create a fantastic frame for the text of the Gulistan. Meaning “rose bush” in Persian, this text is a collection of anecdotes in both verse and prose. Here, a winged lion chases a winged deer from the upper margins to the lower, where it rends the mythical deer and sends a toothy fox running.
  • ?–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. Reproduced: p. 58, Figure 42; Mentioned: pp. 58-59.
  • Nature Supernatural (Indian Painting rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 22, 2023-March 3, 2024).
    Arts of Iran (Islamic art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 2018-October 28, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Illuminated folio (recto) from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213–1291)|url=false|author=Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi|year=calligraphy: c. 1475–1500; border: c. 1550|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2006.147.a