"Funeral Procession", Folio 35r from a Mantiq al-Tayr (Language of the Birds)

Calligrapher Sultan 'Ali al-Mashhadi Iranian

Author Farid al-Din `Attar Iranian

dated 892 AH/1486 CE

Not on view

This illustration is associated with a story related by the hoopoe as a response to a bird who complains about his fear of death. In the story, a son grieves the death of his father in front of his coffin and a sufi soothes him, explaining that his father had experienced much pain and that no one can avoid death. Here, the painter depicts the incident as occurring in front of a cemetery gate. The scene behind the gate is replete with motifs that are irrelevant to the story itself. The viewer at the court may have enjoyed deciphering them.