• Additional view of object
  • Additional view of object
Sep 29, 2010
Sep 7, 2006

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)

c. 1475–1500, borders added c. 1550

Part of a set. See all set records

Sultan Ali Mashhadi

(Iranian, 1520)

Afghanistan, Herat, Timurid period

(1370–1501)

Opaque watercolor, 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.a

Location

not on view

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Description

The Gulistan, completed around 1258, is one of the most celebrated works of Persian literature. The book’s name means “rose garden” in Persian; just as a rose garden is a collection of flowers, the contents are a collection of anecdotes. Written in both prose and verse, the Gulistan was used for centuries as a primer for schoolchildren in greater Iran, India, and Turkey. The text on these pages is written in nastaliq script and comes from the first chapter, “On the Conduct of Kings.”

The exquisite borders of these two folios show lions, dragons, foxes, and peacocks in a lush landscape, painted in gold and silver that has tarnished over time.

See also
Collection: 
Islamic Art
Department: 
Islamic Art
Type of artwork: 
Manuscript
Medium: 
Opaque watercolor, ink, gold, and silver on paper
Credit line: 
Gift of William Kelly Simpson in memory of his wife Marilyn M. Simpson and her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

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