Folio from a Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (Free Man's Guide to the Subtleties of Poetry) by Badr al-Din Jajarmi (d. 1287); The Zodiac constellation of Pisces, the moon, and two registers of birds; reverse: text: verses of poem

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 2
IIIF

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At A Glance

  • Period

    1341 (741 A.H.)
  • Geography

    Isfahan, Iran
  • Material

    Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W (paper): 19.5 x 13.4 cm (7 11/16 x 5 1/4 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1946.14
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1946.14

Object Details

  • Description

    Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (Free Man's Guide to the Subtleties of Poetry) by Badr al-Din Jajarmi; Persian in black naskhi script; illustration and text: The Zodiac Constellation of Pisces, the moon, and two registers of birds, 2 columns, 4 lines; reverse: text: verses of poem with gold roundels, 2 columns, 17 lines.
    Border: The text and the painting have been remargined and mounted on another paper.
  • Label

    This unusual composition is one of six found in a unique, illustrated copy of an anthology of Persian poetry devoted to poetic artifice. The top register prescribes the ideal astrological time for carrying out certain tasks. It reads:
    With the moon in Pisces, study learning and theology,
    Make requests from ministers and judges,
    Wear whatever new clothes you possess,
    Abstain from bleeding. The tale is ended.
    The accompanying illustration shows the personification of the moon with a large fish, representing the zodiac sign of Pisces. In the lower inscription band, the author explores the rhetoric possibilities of "enumeration" by listing a series of birds. These are portrayed in two registers, creating an unusual and non-narrative correlation between word and image.
    Wiles of francolin, spirit of hawk, quickness of magpie,
    Music of nightingale, splendor of huma [mythical bird],
    glance of partridge,
    Breast of duck, wrath of eagle, beauty of peacock,
    Cheek-down like parrot, hair like raven, attainable as simurgh [mythical bird].
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
    Falnama: The Book of Omens (October 24, 2009 to January 24, 2010)
    Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)
    Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Metalwork (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)
  • Origin

    Isfahan, Iran
  • Credit Line

    Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
  • Type

    Manuscript
  • Restrictions and Rights

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