Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
The Tale of the Man in the Well from the 'Iyar-i Danish (Touchstone of Wisdom) of Abu al-Fazl
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Islamic World , Islamic Manuscripts)
This single leaf is from 'Iyar-I Danish, a text based on the genre of animal tales in the vein of Kalila wa Dimna. Abu'l Fazl translated Kalila wa Dimna and offered his audiences a simplified version of these captivating animal fables. The image shows the fate of a man who, escaping from a wild camel, jumps into a well. There his predicament grows even more precarious when he lands on the heads of four snakes, grasps in desperation at a bush gnawed by two rats, and looks down to see dragon waiting to devour him should he fall.
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.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2015-2016 | Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 10/18/1973 | Treatment | stabilized |
| 7/1/1975 | Treatment | stabilized; mounted |
| 9/2/2015 | Treatment | examined for exhibition; examined for loan; installed in climate package |
Geographies
India (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 13 3/16 x W: 8 1/4 in. (33.5 x 21 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.692
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