Page of Calligraphy with Scribbled Bird and Insect?
Unknown Artist
16th–17th century
Medium
Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
H. 8 13/16 in. (22.4 cm) W. 5 9/16 in. (14.1 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Adrienne Minassian, 1994
Accession Number
1997.298
Tags
Art Historical Context
This enchanting page of calligraphy, adorned with a scribbled bird and insect, hails from the Islamic world of the 16th–17th century. Crafted with ink and opaque watercolor on, it measures a modest 8 13/16 by 5 9/16 inches, likely a single folio from a codex album. In Islamic art, such manuscripts were prized treasures, blending sacred text with artistic expression. The unknown artist masterfully wove fluid Arabic script—calligraphy being the noblest of Islamic arts—with playful, spontaneous sketches of a bird and insect, evoking nature's whimsy amid devotional lines. The technique highlights...