“Bahram Gur Sees a Herd of Deer Mesmerized by Dilaram’ s Music”, Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi. Attributed to Miskin (active ca. 1570–1604). Folio from an illustrated manuscript, 1597–98, India. Click image for larger view.

Approximately one century after the Persian poet Nizami wrote his Khamsa (Quintet), the Indian poet Amir Khusrau Dihlavi composed a response using Nizami’s structure but varying his stories slightly. This painting comes from the Mughal emperor Akbar’s (r. 1556–1605) personal copy of Amir Khusrau’s verses. It shows the king Bahram Gur with his beautiful slave girl, Dilaram, who could make animals sleep or awaken with the sound of her music. —metmuseum

An Orange–Headed Ground Thrush and a Death’s-Head Moth on an Orchid Branch, Shaikh Zain al–Din, 1778, India. Click image for larger view.

via metmuseum

American Crow. Illustration: Ralph Steadman. Click image for larger view.

Reimagining the American Crow
In the creative mind of Ralph Steadman, the corvid channels independence.

Hendrik Voogd — Italian Landscape with Umbrella Pines (1807)

Pablo Picasso, She-Goat, 1950.

Visit this page for more Picasso sculptures and a podcast on them.

Two Orioles, Mughal, North India, c. 1610

Two Orioles, Mughal, North India, c. 1610. This composition is closely related to European botanical and natural history studies which had begun to reach the Mughal court by the late 16th century. The upper bird is a male Indian Golden Oriole (Oriolus kundoo), the lower bird a male Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus).

via Jameel Centre

Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos dubius) by Shaikh Zain ud-Din, c. 1780.

Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos dubius) by Shaikh Zain ud-Din, c. 1780 – Lady Impey’s Indian Bird Paintings

Painting of a Mouse, by Shibata Zeshin. Click image for larger view.

Printed between 1827 and 1838, John James Audubon’s Birds of America is considered to be the archetype of wildlife illustration. It contains 435 life-sized watercolours of North American birds. View all hand-engraved plates and high-resolution downloads here.