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

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

about 1475–1500; border: about 1550

Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi

(Iranian, 1430–1520)

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

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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.”