Collection of Poems (masnavi)
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Islamic World , Islamic Manuscripts)
Walters manuscript W.626 is an illustrated and illuminated copy of the collection of poems, known as Masnavi-i ma'navi, of Jalal al-Din Rumi (died 672 AH/AD 1273). According to the colophon (fol. 314b), the text, written in black Nasta'liq script, was completed in India in 1073 AH/AD 1663. Each section of the work is introduced by a double-page illuminated incipit containing a preface in prose, followed by two illustrations and an illuminated incipit page for the masnavi. In total, 50 paintings illustrate the text. The green leather binding is modern.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Ibrahim [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [round seal impression, Ibrahim (...) on front flyleaf iia]; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
1987-1988 | Elephants. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Bharat (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Folio H: 10 7/16 x W: 5 7/8 in. (26.5 x 15 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.626
Do you have additional information?
Related Objects

A Sick Lion, Inspired by a Clever Fox, Hunts a Donkey for its Brain to Cure his Disease

A Woodcutter’s Miserable Donkey who Envies the King’s Horses, Fed with Delicious Grain

A Wise Man and a Peacock Plucking Out its Feathers Not to be Attractive to People

Thieves, Unhindered by Guards, Attack a Caravan While its Occupants Sleep

A Man Questions a Preacher about the Meaning of the Direction a Rooster Faces While on the Roof

A Woman Plays a Stringed Instrument in the Company of Tamed Animals and Birds

A Shoemaker and the Unfaithful Wife of a Sufi Surprised by her Husband’s Unexpected Return Home

King Solomon Hears the Complaint of an Ant who was Blown off the Wall and Got Wounded

Townspeople, Who have Never Seen an Elephant, Examine its Appearance in the Dark

Hebrew Mothers with their Babies in Front of the Pharaoh who Intends to Kill Them

A Mother Elephant Crushes to Death the Men who Killed her Cub and Ate its Meat

An Enslaved Person of Color, Washed and Shaved, Stands in Front of the King

A Group of Sufis, Having Stolen a Donkey from Another Sufi, Celebrate in Dance and Song
