TURKMAN SHIRAZ, IRAN, LATE 15TH CENTURY

These folios originally formed part of the Aja'ib al-Makhluqat ('Wonders of Creation') by Zakariya al-Qazwini (d.1203-83), an encyclopedic work describing all aspects of the material world. Due to the breadth of its subject, many surviving examples are richly illustrated. Here, the drawing is fresh and confident, but sketchy, and the plain ground reflects the need for the painter to paint a large number of small, didactic images quickly.

Another folio from a 15th-century manuscript of the Aja'ib al-Makhluqat was sold at Christie's South Kensington, 28 April 2017, lot 24.