"Jonah and the Whale", Folio from a Majma' al-Tavarikh (Compendium of Histories) of Hafiz-i Abru

Hafiz-i Abru

ca. 1425 · Opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

Written by court historian Hafiz-i Abru and modelled after the Ilkhanid Jami' al-Tavarikh, the text of the Majma al-Tavarikh begins at the time of Adam and continues into the rule of Shah Rukh (r. 1405–47). In this scene, Jonah crouches in the foliage on the bank of a body of water, which was painted in silver and has since oxidized, making it appear dark grey in color. This manuscript, which was originally composed of 407 folios including 150 miniatures, remained intact until at least 1928. It had a leather binding, and its paintings were executed in three different styles. The Metropolitan Museum owns ten folios from the manuscript.

Artist

Hafiz-i Abru

Date

ca. 1425

Medium

Opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Cora Timken Burnett Collection of Persian Miniatures and Other Persian Art Objects, Bequest of Cora Timken Burnett, 1956