Persian Manuscripts : Mūsh va Gurba

‘Ubayd Zākānī, Niẓām al-Dīnعبيد زاكاني، نظام الدين

Persian Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'><i>Mūshnāmah</i> (Book of the Mouse) or <i>Mūsh va Gurbah</i> (Mouse and Cat), a mock-epic attributed to ‘Ubayd Zākānī (d. ca. 1370). A mock-epic, attributed to ʻUbayd Zākānī, it features a satirical fable concerning a cruel and hypocritical tyrant, symbolically depicted as an evil cat, often associated with the founder of the Muzzafarid Dynasty (1314–1393) Mubāriz al-Dīn Muḥammad (r. 1314–1358), who repeatedly torments a community of virtuous mice. In the tale, the tyrant is symbolically represented as an evil cat that torments a community of virtuous mice. While this finely transcribed, and whimsically illustrated manuscript lacks a colophon, the style suggests that the commercial atelier (<i>muṣavvirkhānah</i>) of painter Faqīr Chand (ca. 1790–1865), or his son Shīvā Lāl (1817–1887), known as Shāhī Muṣavvir (Royal Painter) illustrated it.</p>