#CHester Beatty

[arthistoryanimalia]

#ManuscriptMonday :

“Solomon takes advice from the animals”

from partial copy of Lights of Canopus (Anvar-i Suhayli) by Husayn Va`izi Kashifi (d. 1504-5), painting inscribed to Dhanu; Agra, Mughal India, c. 1595-1600.

Detached folio, ink, colours & gold on paper, Persian text in nasta`liq script with painting on recto.

Chester Beatty In 04.74

“Solomon was known for his great wisdom, and for his ability to speak with all creatures. One day, he had the opportunity to drink the water of life, and to live forever. Hesitating, he decided first to take advice from the animals and birds. They all gathered at his court, and discussed the great decision. The heron advised the king not to choose immortality. There was only enough water for one person, the bird said, so if Solomon were to drink it, then he would outlive everyone he loved.

This folio is from a copy of a highly-regarded Persian text, written by Husayn Va`izi Kashifi (d.1504-05), a preacher and scholar at the Timurid court in Herat (modern Afghanistan): <Lights of Canopus (Anvar-i Suhayli), a reworking of the animal fables Kalila and Dimna (Kalila wa Dimna)>. His patron was Amir Shaykh Suhayli, whose last name is punningly inserted into the new title. Writing in a sophisticated court style, Kashifi composed an updated version of these lively animal fables, which have a long transmission history going back to Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit texts. This manuscript was made in Mughal India, and features 96 paintings (mounted separately).”

[azvolrien]

Last museum of the day was the Chester Beatty in the grounds of Dublin Castle, which has a nice water feature outside with these metal figures and another one in the foyer shaped like a peacock feather. It was actually recommended to me by a friend on here, but I'm not sure which blog they would rather be credited by so I shall let them remain anonymous. They know who they are.

[clair-blake]

Dublin, Ireland. 2023

[fionabrennanartisttours]

This hand fan shows a small section from the painting "The poet with his friends in the orchard at night", from Prince Baysunghur's Rose Garden (Gulistan) by Sa`di.

Sa’di is widely recognized as one of the great masters of classical Persian literature, and Rose Garden is one of his most famous works. There is a rich body of Persian art that celebrates same-sex love and attraction, and a few works from the great Sa’di which leave nothing at all to the imagination! Although his more explicit depictions of male homosexuality tended to be purged by editors of his work in later years.

And now a note on hand-fans - folding fans have become popular within the LGBTQ community recently, most notably among drag performers. Fans made their way to North America, from Europe via Japan, where they served the same purpose whether they were being held by an affluent straight woman or a gay man: to convey opulence and elegance. They also keep you cool in a nightclub!

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Dick Tracy trading cards - Topps (1990)

[theoscarsproject]

Dick Tracy (1990). The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.

Sin City eat your heart out! This honestly has to be one of the most stylish and thoughtfully-made adaptations from a visual standpoint - art department, costume and hair and make-up teams were truly firing on all cylinders, and it's as camp as it is sumptuous. It's also just really fun? I can't imagine a comic book adaptation taking this sort of risk in 2025, which is a bummer, because sure, it doesn't always work, but when it does, it really does. I can't believe this hasn't become a cult classic. 7.5/10.

[90smovies]

[patart-illustrations-stuff]

Big Boy Caprice: You get behind me, we all profit; you challenge me, we all go down! There was one Napoleon, one Washington, one me!

Dick Tracy Sketches

[machetelanding]

Warren Beatty in Dick Tracy (1990)

[lahilden]

🍀 Dublin Castle is located in Dublin, Ireland. The castle complex serves as a major Irish Government center and tourist attraction. The castle was built for defense by King John of England and was largely completed by 1230. The castle was designed in a Norman courtyard style with a central square flanked by defensive walls that were protected at each corner with a circular tower. Through the Middle Ages, the castle’s structure was altered with additions, although not all the additions remain today. The castle survived a fire in 1684 and was transformed into a Georgian palace. The majority of the medieval buildings remain underground today, except for the Record and Bermingham Towers, which are the sole surviving towers from the original fortification. The castle boasts State apartments in the upper yard buildings, a Throne room, a State drawing room, a State dining room, State bedrooms, a State corridor, and Saint Patrick’s Hall, which was once a ballroom but currently used for presidential inaugurations. The opulent Royal Chapel was completed in 1814 and opened on Christmas Day. The chapel was the third chapel in the castle and the second in this location. The crypt of the Royal Chapel is now used as an art center. The Chester Beatty Library houses the Silk Road Café, while the Treasury Building houses a police museum. 

[along-the-silkroad]

A copy of the Qur'an by Ibn al-Bawwab in the year 1000/1001 CE, thought to be the earliest existing example of a Qur'an written in a cursive script. Chester Beatty Library 

[thebeautifulbook]

THE SONG OF THE JADE BOWL written by the imperial brush (Yu bi yu weng ge) in Chinese in the manner of the calligraphy of the Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799), engraved and gilded on ten folios of nephrite jade. (China: 1745) Title page.

Chester Beatty Library.

[azvolrien]

The Chester Beatty displays are mostly old manuscripts of wide-ranging provenance, so if you're not interested in that then you probably wouldn't like it very much. But if you are, it's great!

[byzantine-nectarine]

Headings for Al-Fatiha, and for Chapter 2, Al-Baqara. From the Qur'an of Ibn al-Bawwab. Baghdad, 1000/1001.  Chester Beatty Library

[fionabrennanartisttours]

Tomorrow we will say happy birthday to the iconic Lili Elbe! This print from Chester Beatty is entitled “Silk jacket with grey skirt” in English. ("Veste de soie écossaise. Jupe de crépon de coton souris" in French) It was created by Danish Painter Gerda Wegener for a Parisian fashion magazine. Gerda was also known for her paintings depicting lesbian love and sexuality. But that’s only the tip of this queer iceberg! The elegant figure above features in numerous fashion plates by Gerda; always with a fashionable short bob and lovely face. This is Danish artist named Lili Elbe, spouse and frequent model of Gerda. She has been immortalised in the year 2000 novel The Danish Girl, which went on to become the blockbuster film of the same name in 2015. So in this print we see the Danish Girl herself, who is very interesting to us as she was a very famous trans woman of the early 20th century.

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Dick Tracy (1990)