Anthology of Persian Poetry (Safina)
Calligrapher 'Abd al-'Azim al-Yahya
Not on view
Long, narrow books bound on the short edge are known as 'safina', a word meaning 'boat'. They were a popular form for collections of works by different poets. This 'safina', dated 1681 and 1685, contains poems by several Safavid poets, including 'Urfi, Tahir, and Kalim, written on extremely thin, gold-sprinkled paper and three tinted drawings in a late 16th–century style. Here a falconer is seated in a flowering tree while a mythical bird, the simurgh swoops overhead. The image serves an an analogue to the poetry, which is mostly of a mystical nature, rather than an illustration of a narrative.
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