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Single Leaf from Mantiq al-tayr by Farid al-din `Atta
(Manuscripts and Rare Books, Islamic World , Islamic Manuscripts)
This Timurid leaf depicting a funeral procession, Walters W.678, is from a copy of Mantiq al-tayr (The language of the birds) by the Persian Sufi poet Farid al-Din 'Attar (died 618 AH/AD 1221). It represents a son's lamentation at his father's funeral. The parent manuscript was likely produced in Timurid Herat or Bukhara in the late 9th century AH/AD 15th. There are fewer than 10 known illustrated copies of the Mantiq al-tayr. In the bottom right corner is a later attribution to the famous Persian artist Bihzad (died 942 AH/AD 1536-1537). The painting is surrounded by a biscuit-colored, gold-sprinkled border. The Walters' leaf is comparable to the same scene illustrated in the copy housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (63.210.35).
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
| 1966-1967 | Art of Persia. Ithaca College Museum of Art, Ithaca. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 12/3/1974 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 12/17/1974 | Treatment | stabilized |
| 1/21/1975 | Treatment | re-housed |
| 7/30/3015 | Treatment | examined for exhibition; stabilized |
Geographies
Uzbekistan, Bukhara
(Place of Origin)
Afghanistan, Herat (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 11 1/4 x W: 7 1/2 in. (28.5 x 19 cm); Image H: 11 1/4 x W: 7 1/2 in. (28.5 x 19 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.678
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Related Objects
Son’s Lamentation at his Father’s Funeral (Back)
