Folio page with 4 lines of black calligraphy, arranged in four columns on a tan background and enclosed by a lined border. Below is a painting of a hunting scene, with a red-robed figure riding a grey horse on the left, and pointing his bow at a man in blue.
AKM284.3, King Dara and the Herdsman

© The Aga Khan Museum

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King Dara and the Herdsman
Folio from the Manuscript of Kulliyat (Collected Works) of Sa`di (d. 1292)
  • Accession Number:AKM284.3
  • Place:India, Agra
  • Dimensions:41.8 x 26.2 cm
  • Date:ca. 1604
  • Materials and Technique:opaque watercolour, ink, and gold on paper
  • This is the first painting that appears in the Bustan, Sa`di’s most famous composition aside from the Gulistan. It is marked as page 56 in the manuscript. It presents the story of King Dara, who is separated from his hunting party and, shortly afterwards, is approached by a herdsman. The king does not recognize the man and assumes he is an enemy. The herdsman reproaches him with the words, “It’s neither laudable provision nor good judgment / When the emperor knows not enemy from friend! / It is in high station a condition of living / That you should know who each inferior is.”

     

    See AKM284 for an introduction to the Kulliyat (Collected Works) of Sa'di, and other paintings from this manuscript.

     

    — Marika Sardar

Note: This online resource is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. We are committed to improving this information and will revise and update knowledge about this object as it becomes available.

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