Walters Ms. W.599, The lights of Canopus Anvār-i Suhaylī انوار سهيلى <note type="title" xml:id="n320.043706">Title appears on fol. 5a, line 1, and in the colophon</note> Kāshifī, Ḥusayn Vāʻiẓ, d. 1504 or 5 Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī Vāʿiẓ Kāshifī حسين بن على واعظ كاشفى Author dates preferred by cataloger: d. 910 AH / 1504-5 CE scribe Mīrzā Raḥīm navādah-i Mīrzā Amīn Afshār ميرزا رحيم نواده ميرزا امين افشار Principal cataloger Gacek, Adam Cataloger Landau, Amy Cataloger Smith, Sita Copy editor Bockrath, Diane Contributor Barrera, Christina Contributor Emery, Doug Contributor Herbert, Lynley Contributor Noel, William Contributor Simpson, Shreve Contributor Tabritha, Ariel Contributor Toth, Michael B. Contributor Valle, Chiara Conservator Jewell, Stephanie Conservator Quandt, Abigail The Walters Art Museum

Licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Access Rights, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/legalcode. It is requested that copies of any published articles based on the information in this data set be sent to the curator of manuscripts, The Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201.

 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. Baltimore The Walters Art Museum W.599 The primary language in this manuscript is Persian. 1b - 193a Anvār-i Suhaylī انوار سهيلى <note type="title" xml:id="n320.043774">Title appears on fol. 5a, line 1, and in the colophon</note> حضرت حكيم على الاطلاق جلت حكمته كه... scribe tamām shud Kitāb-i Anvār-i Suhaylī bi-ʿawn Allāh Taʿālá va-ḥusn tawfīqih dar rūz-i dū shanbah bīst va-shashum /1/ shahr-i Jumādá al-avval 1264 itmām paḏīraft katabahu Mīrzā Raḥīm navādah-i Mīrzā Amīn Afshār /2/ Gives the name of the scribe and the date of copying

Probably Persian paper

 Foliation: i+193+i35.0 21.5 26.5 13.5

Written obliquely on versos

Framing lines in blue, black, and gold Written in nastaʿliq script, influenced by shikastah script, in black and red ink One hundred twenty-three illustrations; incipit page with illuminated headpiece (fol. 1b); framing lines in blue, black, and gold Incipit page with illuminated headpiece Incipit; headpiece 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). King Humāyūn Fāl hunting in the company of his vizier, Khujastah Rāy Illustration Two pigeons, Bāzandah and Navāzandah Illustration Two hawks and a crow’s nest Illustration An old woman’s cat in the courtyard being shot by an archer Illustration A poor father and his son Illustration An old merchant advising his three sons Illustration The king of Ḥalab (Aleppo) and his two sons Illustration A farmer’s corn supply being attacked by mice Illustration A monkey and a carpenter Illustration Ghānim, his friend Salīm, and a stone lion near a river Illustration A fox and a drum Illustration A king and a dervish Illustration A shoemaker and his unfaithful wife Illustration Two sparrows set on fire and a falcon Illustration A despotic king, a dog, a fox, a man, and a horse, all with maimed legs Illustration A snake and a crow’s chicks Illustration A heron, a crab, and a fish Illustration A jackal devours a hare Illustration An evil lion, tricked by a hare, looks into a well and sees his reflection Illustration Two fishermen and three fishes Illustration A tortoise carries a scorpion on its back across a river Illustration A goose and a reflection of the moon in the water Illustration A hawk and a hen Illustration A gardener and a nightingale Illustration A leopard devouring the hunter of a fox Illustration A lion, a crow, a wolf, two jackals, and a rabbit devouring a camel Illustration Tīṭawá birds of India, a tortoise, and ducks Illustration A sīmurgh and an army of birds attacks the spirit of the ocean Illustration A lion king devours the ox Shanzabah Illustration A man, five monkeys, and a bird Illustration Two associates, the shrewd and the careless, on horseback Illustration A frog, a snake, and a crab Illustration A confrontation between a lawyer and his party and a man who was hiding in a hollow tree Illustration A gardener and a bear Illustration A bear trying to kill flies on a gardener’s face with a large rock Illustration A merchant and a friend to whom the merchant entrusted some iron Illustration A hungry fox, a jackal, and a piece of hide Illustration A donkey without a tail Illustration A king and his equerry readying for a race Illustration A king and a holy man meeting in front of a cave Illustration A blind man holds a snake that he has mistakenly taken for his whip Illustration A dervish, mistaken for a thief and about to be beheaded, is saved by an old shaykh Illustration A Kashmiri merchant and his two wives Illustration A merchant’s unfaithful wife in the company of her lover's enslaved servant Illustration Three envious men with a sack of gold are questioned by a king Illustration Three envious men being executed on the order of the king Illustration The Lord of the Marches and his enslaved falconer from Balkh Illustration A falcon plucks out the eye of a liar servant in the presence of the Lord of the Marches and his wife Illustration A mouse named Zīrak gnaws at a net to free pigeons Illustration A partridge and a hawk Illustration A snake, saved by a camel driver, threatens to bite him Illustration A crow brings a mouse to see its tortoise friend Illustration 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. A greedy cat killed by the owner of pigeons Illustration A deer, a crow, and a mouse rescue their tortoise friend caught in a net Illustration Owls fight crows Illustration The king of Kashmir, his favorite wife, and a youthful attendant Illustration A flock of birds comes together to elect a leader Illustration Four elephants in search of water come to a place inhabited by hares Illustration A partridge and a quail in the company of an old cat Illustration An old cat kills a partridge and a quail Illustration 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. A rich merchant and his wife being robbed while sleeping Illustration Two robbers and a demon try to kill a holy man to steal his buffalo Illustration A carpenter’s wife and her lover are spied on by the carpenter who hides under the bed Illustration A group of monkeys attacked by four bears Illustration 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. The son of a holy man lies dead, bitten by a snake Illustration A snake who used to eat the young of sparrows being burned in a fire Illustration A king and his son in the company of other relations Illustration A king, a monkey, and a tortoise Illustration A faithful monkey struggles with a robber in the presence of the sleeping king Illustration A monkey rides on the back of a swimming tortoise Illustration A lion attacks an ass belonging to a laundryman who was deceived by a fox Illustration A holy man and his pregnant wife discuss the future of their baby Illustration A holy man is puzzled after having killed the faithful weasel who killed a snake to protect the holy man's infant son Illustration A king holding a dead falcon is offered a cup of water poisoned by a dead dragon Illustration A mouse tries to release a cat caught in a net while a crow seated on a tree waits in ambush Illustration A lion attacks the unfaithful wife of an old man while her lover on horseback runs away Illustration A mouse gnaws at a net to release a cat caught in it Illustration A crow catches a mouse and a frog who had tied themselves together by a cord as a sign of friendship Illustration King Ibn Madīn and his son, whose eyes were plucked out after he killed the young of the king’s favorite lark Illustration 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. 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. A jealous court musician, about to be executed, pleads his case for killing the king's favorite enslaved musician Illustration A physician attending to a sick man Illustration The king of Turkistān and his courtiers Illustration A holy man admonishes a wolf for his wicked designs on men’s sheep Illustration An Arab of the desert in a Baghdad bakery angers the baker by eating more bread than he paid for Illustration The jackal Farīsah converses with the lion king Kāmjū’ī Illustration A dervish chases flies away from a honey pot with a fan Illustration The ruler of Baghdad and a beautiful enslaved Chinese girl are entertained by musicians Illustration An enslaved Chinese girl is lead away to be executed Illustration The enslaved servant of an envious Baghdad merchant Illustration This illustration depicts the enslaved servant of an envious Baghdad merchant, who kills the merchant on the roof belonging to a holy man to put the blame on the latter. An impoverished chamberlain of the king of Yemen steals a golden goblet Illustration A lion and a jackal Illustration A hunter with a lion, a jackal, and other animals Illustration A tyrant buys a bundle of wood from a poor man in the presence of a reproaching holy man Illustration An old monkey on a fig tree is visited by a boar who demands a share of the fruit Illustration A European traveler visits a holy man of Qinnawj Illustration A bleacher saves a crane Illustration An older wife plucks out the black hairs from her husband’s beard in the presence of his younger wife Illustration A hunter shares his catch with two students according to his promise Illustration A crow admires the way a partridge walks and imitates its gait Illustration King Solomon in the company of an angel, his courtiers, animals, birds, and a demon Illustration King Hīlār of India and his wife Irān-dukht Illustration King Hīlār of India, his wife Irān-dukht, and his concubine Bazm Afrūz Illustration A king comes to consult a holy man after having accidentally killed a poor woodcutter Illustration A treacherous maid lies dead after having been forced to ingest the poison she had prepared for her queen Illustration Two pigeons and a supply of grain Illustration The king of Ḥalab (Aleppo), his daughter, the vizier, and a goldsmith Illustration The king of Fārs buys a enslaved man from a merchant, not knowing that he is his son Illustration A merchant’s daughter brings her jewels to the princess Illustration A traveler is saved by a monkey Illustration A traveler cures the princess and a malicious goldsmith is crucified Illustration A prince with three companions Illustration A butcher kills a cow for a peasant and his wife to be distributed as alms Illustration A prince and his companions Illustration Two hoopoes freed by an old man show him a box full of jewels Illustration

Lacquer boards (no flap); decorated with flowers and birds

 26 Jumādá I 1264 AH / 1847 CE Iran Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters bequest Relevant Works Losty, Jeremiah P. The Art of the Book in India. (London: British Library, 1982), 71, 87, 121-2. Richard, Francis. Catalogue des manuscrits persans. (Paris: Bibliothèque nationale, 1989), nos. 358a, 381-3. Schmitz, Barbara, et al. Islamic and Indian Manuscripts and Paintings in the Pierpont Morgan Library. (New York: Pierpont Morgan Library, 1997) 58, no. 17. Natif, Mika. “The SOAS Anvār-i Suhaylī: The Journey of a 'Reincarnated' Manuscript.” Muqarnas 25 (2008): 331-358. Art Medicine Museum Poetry Script Muhammad, the Prophet Kashmiri Horses Walters Art Museum Document Astrology Devotion History Legal Literature -- Poetry Literature -- Prose Liturgy Philosophy Science Science -- Medicine Scripture Sufism Theology Mineralogy Logic Geography Geomancy Cosmology Cartography Fortune-telling Koran Qur`an Firman Palimpsest Prayer Bible Gospels Psalter Missal Lectionary Book of Hours Antiphonary Homilary Processional Horologion Breviary Hymnal Chronicle Maghreb Sub-Saharan (West) Africa Turkey Afghanistan Central Asia Egypt England India Iran Iraq Pakistan Germany France Austria Netherlands Ethiopia Armenia Flanders Greece Mamluk Mughal Ottoman Ottonian Armenian Byzantine Abbasid Qajar Rajput Christian Arabic Austrian Dutch Egyptian Fatimid German Indian Islamic Persian Safavid Timurid Turkish Umayyad English French Flemish Ethiopian Carolingian Calligraphy Colophon Headpiece Illumination Illustration Medallion Miniature Ornament Painting Early Abbasid script Ragini Romanesque Gothic Watermark Grotesques Historiated initial Inhabited initial White-vine lettering Textura Batarda Humanistic Uncial Accordion book Album Book Codex Manuscript Heraldry Saint's Life Drawing Grisaille New Abbasid style Musical notation Russia Romania Charter Russian Genealogy Mass book Prayer book Gospel Lectionary Psalter-Hours Treatise Grammar Gloss Pontifical Private devotional text Gradual Protective scroll Scroll 10th century 11th century 12th century 13th century 14th century 15th century 16th century 17th century 18th century 19th century 20th century 8th century 9th century Block book Caroline minuscule Central Arab lands (Near East) Chart English secretary hand Kufic Gothic book hand Original binding Treasure binding Gospel Book Spanish Spain Italian Italy Coptic Scrapbook American United States Maryland Historical Society Friendship book Friendship Biography Judaism Talmud Collection of Sermons Notable Notable binding Textbook Scholarly compendium Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Literature Japanese Japan Nordic Scandinavia Catalog Dictionary Spanish Colonial Mexico Mayan Haggadah Switzerland Confessional Mirror Liturgical Devotional Scriptural Theological Legal Historical Scientific Scientific -- Medical Literary -- Prose Literary -- Poetry Philosophical Astrological Sufi English Book Codex Iran Manuscript Persian Walters Art Museum Qajar Illustration Illumination Islamic Literature -- Prose Colophon Original binding