"The Killing of the Camel", folio from a Kalīla wa Dimna ("Kalila and Dimna") by Abu'l Ma'ali Nasr Allah ibn Munshi
Artist
Unknown
Date1333
Creation PlaceShiraz, Fars, Iran
MediumOpaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions32.9 x 21 cm
ClassificationsNon-Western Miniatures
Credit LineJerome Wheelock Fund
Object number1935.27
Label TextThe Kalīla wa Dimna is a set of very popular tales translated and adapted into Arabic by Ibn al-Muqaffa (720-757). It is based on the ancient Sanskrit text, the Pancatantra (“Five Treatises”), attributed to Vidyapati (commonly known as Bidpai). The tales are allegories that address the challenges of life and rulers featuring mostly animals – the two principal characters are two jackals, cautious Kalila and mischievous Dimna. After the 13th century, illustrated Arabic manuscripts of the tales became popular complementing the rich oral storytelling tradition to which the tales belonged.
The Kalīla wa Dimna was also adapted and translated into Persian with Nasr Allah’s being one of the most popular. The folio is from a dispersed copy of his work. It illustrates a scene from the story of the Lion and the Bull. A lion promised a camel protection amongst his group of animals; however, when he could not find food, the group began to starve. Although the lion was initially opposed to killing the camel, the crow argued that interest in the multitude should be sacrificed for the individual. The plan went on and the entire group pretended devotion and claimed they would sacrifice themselves for the lion with the camel naively agreeing to do the same. The wolf, crow, jackal, and lion all immediately turned on the camel, devouring it.
ProvenanceDemotte, New York NYOn View
Not on view
