"Pair of Serpents", Folio from a Manafi' al-Hayawan (On the Usefulness of Animals) of Ibn Bakhtishu'

Ibn Bakhtishu'

1297–99 · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

This folio exemplifies the impact of Chinese art on Iranian painting as a result of the Mongol conquest. The lava-like rock at the right and the tree with its knotty bark and twisted form are adapted from Far Eastern painting as are the limited use of color and pastel shades. However, the flat ground line at the bottom of the picture follows an early Islamic tradition, and the use of red as a background color for areas of darkness, such as the hole in the rock, is also a feature often found in early Persian painting.

Artist

Ibn Bakhtishu'

Date

1297–99

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1955