انوار سهیلی

Walters Ms. W.599, The lights of Canopus

Walters Ms. W.599, The lights of Canopus

Anvār-i Suhaylī

انوار سهيلى

Kāshifī, Ḥusayn Vāʻiẓ, d. 1504 or 5 (author)

Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī Vāʿiẓ Kāshifī (author)

حسين بن على واعظ كاشفى (author)

Mīrzā Raḥīm navādah-i Mīrzā Amīn Afshār (scribe)

This is an illuminated and illustrated copy of Anvār-i Suhaylī (The lights of Canopus), dating to the thirteenth century AH / nineteenth CE. It is a Persian version of Kalīlah wa-Dimnah (The fables of Bīdpāy). It was completed on 26 Jumādá I 1264 AH / 1847 CE by Mīrzā Raḥīm. The text is written in nastaʿliq script in black and red ink, revealing the influence of shikastah script. There are 123 paintings illustrating the text. The Qajar binding is original to the manuscript. For full description, see http://www.thedigitalwalters.org/Data/WaltersManuscripts/html/W599/description.html

The primary language in this manuscript is Persian.

One hundred twenty-three illustrations; incipit page with illuminated headpiece (fol. 1b); framing lines in blue, black, and gold

fol. 1b Incipit page with illuminated headpiece Incipit; headpiece

fol. 2b A scholar Illustration This illustration depicts a scholar (perhaps Barzūyah, the physician of Nūshirwān, who deputed the author to seek the work known to us as the Fables of Bīdpāy).

fol. 5b King Humāyūn Fāl hunting in the company of his vizier, Khujastah Rāy Illustration

fol. 12b Two pigeons, Bāzandah and Navāzandah Illustration

fol. 16a Two hawks and a crow’s nest Illustration

fol. 16b An old woman’s cat in the courtyard being shot by an archer Illustration

fol. 17b A poor father and his son Illustration

fol. 21b An old merchant advising his three sons Illustration

fol. 22a The king of Ḥalab (Aleppo) and his two sons Illustration

fol. 24a A farmer’s corn supply being attacked by mice Illustration

fol. 25b A monkey and a carpenter Illustration

fol. 26b Ghānim, his friend Salīm, and a stone lion near a river Illustration

fol. 30a A fox and a drum Illustration

fol. 31b A king and a dervish Illustration

fol. 32a A shoemaker and his unfaithful wife Illustration

fol. 33b Two sparrows set on fire and a falcon Illustration

fol. 35a A despotic king, a dog, a fox, a man, and a horse, all with maimed legs Illustration

fol. 35b A snake and a crow’s chicks Illustration

fol. 36a A heron, a crab, and a fish Illustration

fol. 37a A jackal devours a hare Illustration

fol. 38a An evil lion, tricked by a hare, looks into a well and sees his reflection Illustration

fol. 39b Two fishermen and three fishes Illustration

fol. 40b A tortoise carries a scorpion on its back across a river Illustration

fol. 43a A goose and a reflection of the moon in the water Illustration

fol. 44a A hawk and a hen Illustration

fol. 44b A gardener and a nightingale Illustration

fol. 46a A leopard devouring the hunter of a fox Illustration

fol. 46b A lion, a crow, a wolf, two jackals, and a rabbit devouring a camel Illustration

fol. 48a Tīṭawá birds of India, a tortoise, and ducks Illustration

fol. 49b A sīmurgh and an army of birds attacks the spirit of the ocean Illustration

fol. 50a A lion king devours the ox Shanzabah Illustration

fol. 51b A man, five monkeys, and a bird Illustration

fol. 52a Two associates, the shrewd and the careless, on horseback Illustration

fol. 53a A frog, a snake, and a crab Illustration

fol. 53b A confrontation between a lawyer and his party and a man who was hiding in a hollow tree Illustration

fol. 55a A gardener and a bear Illustration

fol. 56a A bear trying to kill flies on a gardener’s face with a large rock Illustration

fol. 56b A merchant and a friend to whom the merchant entrusted some iron Illustration

fol. 58b A hungry fox, a jackal, and a piece of hide Illustration

fol. 59a A donkey without a tail Illustration

fol. 61b A king and his equerry readying for a race Illustration

fol. 63b A king and a holy man meeting in front of a cave Illustration

fol. 64b A blind man holds a snake that he has mistakenly taken for his whip Illustration

fol. 65b A dervish, mistaken for a thief and about to be beheaded, is saved by an old shaykh Illustration

fol. 67b A Kashmiri merchant and his two wives Illustration

fol. 68a A merchant’s unfaithful wife in the company of her lover’s slave Illustration

fol. 69a Three envious men with a sack of gold are questioned by a king Illustration

fol. 69b Three envious men being executed on the order of the king Illustration

fol. 71a The Lord of the Marches and his falconer slave from Balkh Illustration

fol. 72a A falcon plucks out the eye of a liar servant in the presence of the Lord of the Marches and his wife Illustration

fol. 73b A mouse named Zīrak gnaws at a net to free pigeons Illustration

fol. 75b A partridge and a hawk Illustration

fol. 77a A snake, saved by a camel driver, threatens to bite him Illustration

fol. 79a A crow brings a mouse to see its tortoise friend Illustration

fol. 80a A man in conversation with his wife and a wolf Illustration These illustrations depict a man in conversation with his wife about amassing wealth and a wolf about to feast on a hunter, a deer the hunter killed, and a boar that killed the hunter.

fol. 81b A greedy cat killed by the owner of pigeons Illustration

fol. 83a A deer, a crow, and a mouse rescue their tortoise friend caught in a net Illustration

fol. 84a Owls fight crows Illustration

fol. 86b The king of Kashmir, his favorite wife, and a youthful attendant Illustration

fol. 88b A flock of birds comes together to elect a leader Illustration

fol. 89b Four elephants in search of water come to a place inhabited by hares Illustration

fol. 91a A partridge and a quail in the company of an old cat Illustration

fol. 92a An old cat kills a partridge and a quail Illustration

fol. 93a Three robbers Illustration This illustration depicts three robbers trying to steal the sheep from a holy man by trying to convince him that he had bought a dog instead.

fol. 95a A rich merchant and his wife being robbed while sleeping Illustration

fol. 95b Two robbers and a demon try to kill a holy man to steal his buffalo Illustration

fol. 96b A carpenter’s wife and her lover are spied on by the carpenter who hides under the bed Illustration

fol. 98a A group of monkeys attacked by four bears Illustration

fol. 100b A holy man Illustration This illustration depicts a holy man who turns a mouse (brought by a crow) into a girl and hands her over to his disciple to be raised.

fol. 103a The son of a holy man lies dead, bitten by a snake Illustration

fol. 104a A snake who used to eat the young of sparrows being burned in a fire Illustration

fol. 106a A king and his son in the company of other relations Illustration

fol. 106b A king, a monkey, and a tortoise Illustration

fol. 107b A faithful monkey struggles with a robber in the presence of the sleeping king Illustration

fol. 111a A monkey rides on the back of a swimming tortoise Illustration

fol. 113b A lion attacks an ass belonging to a laundryman who was deceived by a fox Illustration

fol. 116b A holy man and his pregnant wife discuss the future of their baby Illustration

fol. 117b A holy man is puzzled after having killed the faithful weasel who killed a snake to protect the holy man's infant son Illustration

fol. 119a A king holding a dead falcon is offered a cup of water poisoned by a dead dragon Illustration

fol. 121b A mouse tries to release a cat caught in a net while a crow seated on a tree waits in ambush Illustration

fol. 124a A lion attacks the unfaithful wife of an old man while her lover on horseback runs away Illustration

fol. 124b A mouse gnaws at a net to release a cat caught in it Illustration

fol. 126b A crow catches a mouse and a frog who had tied themselves together by a cord as a sign of friendship Illustration

fol. 128b King Ibn Madīn and his son, whose eyes were plucked out after he killed the young of the king’s favorite lark Illustration

fol. 129b A group of thieves Illustration This illustration depicts a group of thieves plotting against a dervish from Raqqah called Dānādil on his way to Mecca while a flock of cranes flies over.

fol. 130b An old woman and her cow Illustration This illustration depicts an old woman speaking to her cow with a pot on its head. She mistook the cow for an angel of death come for her and instead instructs it to take her daughter Muhastī.

fol. 131b A jealous court musician, about to be executed, pleads his case for killing the king's favorite slave, also a musician Illustration

fol. 132a A physician attending to a sick man Illustration

fol. 132b The king of Turkistān and his courtiers Illustration

fol. 134b A holy man admonishes a wolf for his wicked designs on men’s sheep Illustration

fol. 135b An Arab of the desert in a Baghdad bakery angers the baker by eating more bread than he paid for Illustration

fol. 138b The jackal Farīsah converses with the lion king Kāmjū’ī Illustration

fol. 139b A dervish chases flies away from a honey pot with a fan Illustration

fol. 143a The ruler of Baghdad and his beautiful Chinese slave girl are entertained by musicians Illustration

fol. 143b A Chinese slave girl is lead away to be executed Illustration

fol. 145b A slave of an envious Baghdad merchant Illustration This illustration depicts a slave of an envious Baghdad merchant who kills the merchant on the roof belonging to a holy man to put the blame on the latter.

fol. 148a An impoverished chamberlain of the king of Yemen steals a golden goblet Illustration

fol. 149b A lion and a jackal Illustration

fol. 151b A hunter with a lion, a jackal, and other animals Illustration

fol. 153a A tyrant buys a bundle of wood from a poor man in the presence of a reproaching holy man Illustration

fol. 154b An old monkey on a fig tree is visited by a boar who demands a share of the fruit Illustration

fol. 156a A European traveler visits a holy man of Qinnawj Illustration

fol. 157a A bleacher saves a crane Illustration

fol. 157b An older wife plucks out the black hairs from her husband’s beard in the presence of his younger wife Illustration

fol. 159a A hunter shares his catch with two students according to his promise Illustration

fol. 160b A crow admires the way a partridge walks and imitates its gait Illustration

fol. 165b King Solomon in the company of an angel, his courtiers, animals, birds, and a demon Illustration

fol. 167b King Hīlār of India and his wife Irān-dukht Illustration

fol. 170b King Hīlār of India, his wife Irān-dukht, and his concubine Bazm Afrūz Illustration

fol. 172a A king comes to consult a holy man after having accidentally killed a poor woodcutter Illustration

fol. 173a A treacherous maid lies dead after having been forced to ingest the poison she had prepared for her queen Illustration

fol. 174a Two pigeons and a supply of grain Illustration

fol. 178a The king of Ḥalab (Aleppo), his daughter, the vizier, and a goldsmith Illustration

fol. 180a The king of Fārs buys a slave from a merchant, not knowing that the slave is his son Illustration

fol. 181b A merchant’s daughter brings her jewels to the princess Illustration

fol. 182b A traveler is saved by a monkey Illustration

fol. 184b A traveler cures the princess and a malicious goldsmith is crucified Illustration

fol. 187a A prince with three companions Illustration

fol. 188b A butcher kills a cow for a peasant and his wife to be distributed as alms Illustration

fol. 190b A prince and his companions Illustration

fol. 192a Two hoopoes freed by an old man show him a box full of jewels Illustration

26 Jumādá I 1264 AH / 1847 CE

Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters bequest

Persian

paper

image/jpeg

1847

All Walters manuscript images and descriptions provided here are copyrighted © The Walters Art Museum.