Masnavi of Jalal al-Din Rumi

dated 894 AH/1488–89 CE

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 455

The frontispiece of this six book manuscript depicts a lively scene in which mounted hunters use swords, bows, and arrows to pursue their prey. Other paintings of receptions and feasts provide further insight into the courtly life of the period. An inscription in the colophon and on two other folios give the date of completion of this manuscript as 894 (1488–89 CE), although four of the 355 folios were added at a later date. The text by Jalal al-Din Rumi teaches moral philosophy and mysticism.

Artwork Details

Title: Masnavi of Jalal al-Din Rumi
Date: dated 894 AH/1488–89 CE
Geography: Attributed to Iran
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; leather binding
Dimensions: H. 11 1/8 in. (28.3 cm)
W. 7 1/4 in. (18.4cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913
Object Number: 13.228.12
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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