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The crow addresses the animals, an illustration to an animal fable, around 1600. A throng of creatures from earth, sea and air gathers around the crow, perched on the peak of a rock. Animal fables were a traditional entertainment to teach the princes the elements of wise statecraft. The Moghul emperor Akbar was particularly fond of them and ordered an illustrated copy of one such collection called Anvar-i-Suhalyi", Lights of Canopus. OA 1920.9-17.05
#03060319

The crow addresses the animals, an illustration to an animal fable, around 1600....

A drake (male duck), 1635. ID:Or 3129, fol.10
#03060325

A drake (male duck), 1635. ID:Or 3129, fol.10

The king of the Rajput state of Mewar is shown in worship before Krishna. The blue-skinned god plays is trademark flute while two women scatter flower petals over him. The king is barefoot before the god, with his hands in the gesture of devotion and adoration. Peacocks and a cow and her calf look up at Krishna. OA 1956.7-14.017
#03060328

The king of the Rajput state of Mewar is shown in worship before Krishna. The bl...

Courtesan nursing a peacock, around 1870. ID: Add Or 904
#03060338

Courtesan nursing a peacock, around 1870. ID: Add Or 904

Bhairavi Ragini, Indian, around 1610. A woman worships a Shiva linga in a shrine by a lake. The lake is often described in texts as being near Mount Kailash, Shiva's holy mountain. While one woman garlands the black linga with flowers, the othr chants and beats the rythm with a pair of cymbals. The pool im which the shrine is set is filled with lotuses on wich butterflies and wild birds rest. OA 1973.9-17.03
#03060345

Bhairavi Ragini, Indian, around 1610. A woman worships a Shiva linga in a shrine...

Plate with dog-headed bird, Sasanian, 7th century. Gilded silver dish showing a legendary dog-headed bird known as "senmurw". It appears in the Late Sasanian period of the 6th century in embroidered roundels on textiles. Sometimes it sits on the tree of life and, by beating its wings, scatters the seeds across the earth. In 637 the Sasanians were defeated by an Arab army. ANE 124095
#03070145

Plate with dog-headed bird, Sasanian, 7th century. Gilded silver dish showing a...

Stucco plaque of a legendary dog-headed bird known as senmurw. This fabulous animal first appears in the late Sasanian period of the 6th century in embroidered roundels on textiles. In one tradition it sits on the tree of life and by beating its wings spreads the tree's seeds across the earth. ANE 135913
#03070146

Stucco plaque of a legendary dog-headed bird known as senmurw. This fabulous ani...

A phenix,mythologicl bird,rising from the ashes. Ivory carving,back of chair No.3 Detail,total size 58 x 58 cm
#03070161

A phenix,mythologicl bird,rising from the ashes. Ivory carving,back of ch...

Lacquer dish, Ming dynasty, 1489. The setting is a famous fourth-century drinking and poetry party at the Lanting (Orchid Pavilion) in the southern province of Zhejiang. The sky is full of clouds and cranes, birds symbolic of immortality. The party arriving in the foreground is accompanied by deer, also associated with immortality, and the Islands of the Immortals rise out of the waves around the border of the dish. The bracketing and tiling of the buildings are executed with great intricacy, and the carver has signed his name and the date around the door of the pavilion. This dish is one of the earliest known examples of polychrome carved lacquer with a pictorial scene. These beautifully executed pieces were often made to imperial order and some were exported to Japan as diplomatic gifts. A verse by the Tang dynasty poet, Wang Bo, is carved on the back of the dish. OA, 1980.3-27.1
#03070237

Lacquer dish, Ming dynasty, 1489. The setting is a famous fourth-century drinkin...

White eagle. Embroidery on silk. China; Song dynasty.
#03070318

White eagle. Embroidery on silk. China; Song dynasty.

The creation of the animals. The Creator among his animals. There are seven kinds of trees, with the vine emerging from God's halo.The animals include a lion, elephant, and unicorn. The birds are carefully studied; some are shown flying, some like the owl perch on trees, and others by the water. There are two fishes, apparently pike. From the Holkham Bible Picture Book. England; around 1320-1330. Shelfmark: Add. 47682 Page Folio Number: f.2v
#03080160

The creation of the animals. The Creator among his animals. There are seven kin...

Debarking from Noah's Ark and the drunkenness of Noah. From the Bedford Hours illustrated by the Master of the Munich Golden Legend. France, Paris; 1414-1423.
#03080232

Debarking from Noah's Ark and the drunkenness of Noah. From the Bedford Hours il...