"A Ruffian Spares the Life of a Poor Man", Folio 4v from a Mantiq al-Tayr (Language of the Birds)

Farid al-Din `Attar

ca. 1600 · Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

This painting once formed part of a rare surviving illustrated copy of Farid al-Din 'Attar’s mystical poem, the Mantiq al-tair (Language of the Birds). Originally commissioned in the late fifteenth century, the manuscript was left unfinished, completed over a century later during the reign of the Safavid ruler Shah 'Abbas I (r. 1587–1629). Four new paintings were added at that time, including this seventeenth century illustration for the story of a ruffian who spares the life of a poor man.

Artist

Farid al-Din `Attar

Date

ca. 1600

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1963