Kulliyat (Complete Works) of Sa'di 1800 - 1889

Curator: This is the cover of the "Kulliyat (Complete Works) of Sa'di," dating from 1800-1889 and housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The book, which contains the collected works of the celebrated Persian poet Sa’di, blends textile elements with what appears to be oil painting. Editor: It has a rather imposing, solemn presence. I am immediately drawn to the way the ornate, almost geometric gold details interplay with the more somber dark surface. It makes you think about what is concealed, literally and figuratively, within those covers. Curator: Indeed. The repeated, radiating patterns of these gold elements evoke the divine, don't you think? Like bursts of illumination, drawing you towards inner wisdom and the revealed truth. We should remember Islamic art uses vegetal and geometric designs because figural representation can be controversial. The floral motif on the perimeter gives it balance. Editor: Agreed. The material tells part of the story as well, of course. The craft, in some ways, outshines the text inside: just imagining the process of layering and tooling the textile for that fine border design. Curator: Precisely. And consider the time, and even the social stratification, implicit in the materials themselves. Gilding was an expensive and skilled craft; the preciousness of the gold mirrors the perceived value of the texts within. Editor: Absolutely. It also reflects a society with the resources to expend labor and wealth on decoration, almost to amplify the importance of knowledge and learning within its social structures. Curator: Yes! This is not merely a book but a symbolic vessel, its exterior communicating cultural memory, devotion, and a desire for higher knowledge—a material representation of centuries of literary and spiritual pursuit. Editor: So much information embedded in this object. Considering how tactile and obviously handmade it is really does put the concept of the 'book' as commodity into perspective.