Page of Calligraphy from a Mantiq al-Tayr (Language of the Birds)

Farid al-Din `Attar

16th–17th century · Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

The Mantiq al-Tair, a twelfth-century allegorical text about man's quest for spiritual union, was given an elaborate treatment in this royal copy prepared in the atelier of the Timurid sovereign and patron Sultan Husain Mirza. It was later prized at the Safavid court under Shah Abbas I, who had the manuscript modified and presented it to the shrine of his ancestors at Ardebil. The last text page of the manuscript which concludes with a colophon dated A.H. 892 and the signature of the calligrapher

Artist

Farid al-Din `Attar

Date

16th–17th century

Medium

Opaque watercolor, ink, silver, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1963