Miniature from Hafiz-i Abru’s Majma al-tawarikh. ‘A Giant Fish Rescues Abu Ubayda and his Men from Dying of Starvation’
Iran (Afghanistan), Herat; c. 1425
Leaf: 42.8 × 33.6 cm
Inventory number 19/2004
The style of the miniatures from this manuscript is slightly old-fashioned compared with the otherwise refined Timurid painting, and it has in fact been called Shah Rukh’s historical style. Its inspiration was undoubtedly the illustrations made about a century earlier for Rashid al-Din’s famous ‘History of the World.’
The rescue of the close companion of the Prophet, Abu Ubayda, from starvation is one of Islam’s early miracles. His desperate men have eaten the leaves from the trees and although they do not look quite as emaciated as the two dromedaries lying on the ground, the yellow desert underlines the gravity of the situation. When a giant fish appears, the Muslims are saved from dying of starvation.
The rescue of the close companion of the Prophet, Abu Ubayda, from starvation is one of Islam’s early miracles. His desperate men have eaten the leaves from the trees and although they do not look quite as emaciated as the two dromedaries lying on the ground, the yellow desert underlines the gravity of the situation. When a giant fish appears, the Muslims are saved from dying of starvation.
Published in
Published in
Sotheby’s, London, 3/5-1977, lot 2;
Christie's, London, 27/4-2004, lot 76;
Kjeld von Folsach: For the Privileged Few: Islamic Miniature Painting from The David Collection, Louisiana, Humlebæk 2007, cat.no. 19;
Christie's, London, 27/4-2004, lot 76;
Kjeld von Folsach: For the Privileged Few: Islamic Miniature Painting from The David Collection, Louisiana, Humlebæk 2007, cat.no. 19;
