id: 164652 accession number: 2006.147 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/2006.147 updated: Illuminated Folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213-1291), c. 1475–1500, borders added c. 1550. Calligraphy by Sultan Ali Mashhadi (Iranian, c. 1440–1520). Opaque watercolor, ink, gold, and silver on paper; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of William Kelly Simpson in memory of his wife Marilyn M. Simpson and her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. 2006.147 title: Illuminated Folio from a Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa'di (c. 1213-1291) title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 1475–1500, borders added c. 1550 creation date earliest: 1465 creation date latest: 1560 current location: creditline: Gift of William Kelly Simpson in memory of his wife Marilyn M. Simpson and her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. copyright: --- culture: Afghanistan, Herat, Timurid period (1370–1501) technique: opaque watercolor, ink, gold, and silver on paper department: Islamic Art collection: Islamic Art type: Manuscript find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS * Sultan Ali Mashhadi (Iranian, c. 1440–1520) - artist --- measurements: state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE William Kelly Simpson [1928-2017], ?-2006, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art date: ?-2006 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2006-present date: 2006- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: digital description: wall description: The Gulistan, completed around 1258, is one of the most celebrated works of Persian literature. The book’s name means “rose garden” in Persian; just as a rose garden is a collection of flowers, the contents are a collection of anecdotes. Written in both prose and verse, the Gulistan was used for centuries as a primer for schoolchildren in greater Iran, India, and Turkey. The text on these pages is written in nastaliq script and comes from the first chapter, “On the Conduct of Kings.”

The exquisite borders of these two folios show lions, dragons, foxes, and peacocks in a lush landscape, painted in gold and silver that has tarnished over time. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Canby, Sheila R. The Golden Age of Persian Art: 1501-1722. London: British Museum, 2008. page number: 58-59 url: --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2006.147/2006.147_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2006.147/2006.147_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2006.147/2006.147_full.tif