illustrations

Page from the Illustrations and Explanations of the Three Jewels (Sanbō ekotoba), known as the Tōdaiji Fragment (Tōdaiji-gire)

Calligraphy attributed to Minamoto no Toshiyori (Japanese, 1055–1129) Heian period (794–1185)

Page from Illustrations and Explanations of the Three Jewels (Sanbō e-kotoba), one of the “Tōdaiji Fragments” (Tōdaiji-gire)

Illustrations and Explanations of the Three Jewels was originally compiled in 984 by the courtier-poet Minamoto no Tamenori as an introductory guide to Buddhism. The “Three Jewels” of Buddhism comprise the Budd... more

Textual illustrations from BL Add 26968, f. 111v

Framed marginal illustration of two scenes, probably depicting Abraham breaking the idols, and Abraham in front of King Nimrod, illustrating the passage, 'We were slaves'. The scene in the lower margin depicts ... more

Box for Accessories, with Illustrations from the Kikujidō

The bamboo ladle, shown resting on a rock on the cover of this box, identifies the imagery as a reference to a Noh play about the "Chrysanthemum Youth," or Kikujidō. Loosely based on a Chinese legend, the tale ... more

De Re Militari (On the Military Arts)

When this military treatise was completed around 1460, the patron, Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, distributed a number of manuscript copies to rulers such as Louis XI, Francesco Sforza, and Lorenzo de' Medici. ... more

Meditationes

Written by Johannes de Turrecremata (Spanish, 1388–1468)

The crow and the raven [cont.]; The rook and the dog.

The donkey who envied the horse's life [cont.]; The miser.

Hermes and the traveler [cont.]; The thieving child and his mother.

The travelers and the axe [cont.]; The frogs.

The coal man and the fuller [cont.]; The fishermen who caught stones.

The donkey, the crow, and the wolf [cont.]; The donkey, the fox, and the lion.

The weasel and the rooster.

The fisherman who played the flute [cont.]; The cowherd and the lion.

The donkey and the gardener [cont.]; The bird catcher and the crested lark.

The thieving child and his mother [cont.].

The braggart [cont.]; The man who promised the impossible.

The roosters and the partridge [cont.]; The fox and the mask.

The snake and the crab [cont.]; The shepherd and the wolf.

The kingfisher [cont.].

Hermes and Tiresias [end]; The two dogs.

The lion, the wolf, and the fox [cont.].

The sleeping dog and the wolf [cont.]; The dog, the rooster, and the fox.

The reed and the olive tree [cont.]; The wolf and the heron.

The goat and the wolf [cont.]; The mule.

The dog who came to dinner [end]; The fisherman who played the flute.

The hares and the frogs [end]; The donkey who envied the horse's life.

The frogs and the dried-up pond [cont.]; The old man and death.

The miser [cont.]; The greese and the cranes.

The shepherd and the sea [cont.]; The pomegranate, the apple, and the olive trees, and the thornbush.

The frogs [cont.]; The beekeeper.

The hares and the frogs [cont.].

The peacock and the jackdaw [cont.]; The wild boar and the fox.

The monkey and the dolphin [cont.]; The flies.

The sick crow [cont.]; The eagle.

The man and the shrew [cont.]; The kid and the flute playing wolf.

The bird catcher and the crested lark [cont.]; Hermes and the traveler.

The cricket and the ants [cont.]; The fox and the worm; The hen who laid the goldern eggs.

The sow and the dog; The snake and the crab.

The crab and the fox [cont.]; The zither player.

The fox and the mask [cont.]; The coal man and the fuller.

The hares and the foxes [cont.]; The ant.

The farmer and his dogs [cont.]; The woman and the hen.

The two boys and the butcher [cont.]; The fox and the monkey king.

The fox and the woodcutter [cont.].

The rook and the dog [cont.]; The crow and the snake.

The fisherman and the minnow [cont.]; The horse and the donkey.

Zeus and modesty [cont.]; Zeus and the tortoise.

The horse and the donkey [cont.]; The man and the Satyr.

The ant [cont.]; The bat and the weasels.

The bat, the thorn, and the gull [cont.].

The two dogs [cont.]; The man and the shrew.

The old man and death [cont.]; The old woman and the doctor.

The fishermen and the tuna [cont.]; The broken vow.

The cowherd and the lion [cont.]; The sick crow.

The fox, and the donkey disguised as a lion [cont.]; The donkey and the frogs.

The weasel and the rooster [cont.]; The fox with the cropped tail.

The woman and the servants [cont.]; The magician.

The rich man and the mourners [cont.]; The shepherd and his sheep.

The eagle and the fox [cont.].

The trumpeter; The reed and the olive tree.

The jackdaw at large [cont.]; Hermes and the craftsmen.

The cheat [cont.]; The fishermen and the tuna.

The nightingale and the sparrow hawk.

The dog, the rooster, and the fox [cont.].

The castor [cont.]; The dog and the butcher.

The bat, the thorn, and the gull [end]; The donkey and the gardener.

The snails [cont.]; The woman and the servants.

The old woman and the doctor [cont.].

The fawn and the deer [cont.]; The hares and the frogs.

The kingfisher [end]; The fisherman.

The hen and the swallow [cont.]; The first appearance of the camel.

The doctor and his patient [cont.]; The bird catcher and the viper.

The fox and the bramble [cont.]; The fox and the crocodile.

The tortoise and the eagle [cont.]; The flea and the man.

The donkey in the lion's skin [cont.]; The sparrow.

The bat and the weasels [cont.]; The travelers and the flotsam.

The jackdaw and the pigeons [cont.]; The jackdaw at large.

Hermes and the sculptor [cont.]; Hermes and Tiresias.

The shepherd and the wolf [cont.]; The lion, the wolf, and the fox.

The woman and the drunkard [end]; The boar and the mouse; The donkey in the lion's skin.

The old woman and the doctor [end]; The farmer and his children.

The wild boar and the fox [cont.]; The crested lark; The fawn and the deer.

The stepped on serpent [cont.]; The thirsty dove.

The fox and the goat [end]; The fox who had never seen a lion.

The dove and the crow [cont.]; The rich man and the mourners.

The bird catcher and the viper [cont.]; The castor.

The farmer and the goddess fortune [cont.]; The travelers and the axe.

The thieving child and his mother [end]; The shepherd and the sea.

Hermes and the craftsmen [cont.]; Zeus and modesty.

The crow and the snake [cont.]; The jackdaw and the pigeons.

The lion, the bear, and the fox [cont.]; The fortune-teller.

Hermes and Tiresias [cont.].

The fox and the woodcutter [end]; The man who broke the statue.

The doe and the vines [cont.]; The donkey, the rooster, and the lion.

The swallow and the crow; The nightingale and the bat.

The dog, the rooster, and the fox [end]; The lion and the frog; The lion, the donkey, and the fox.

The greese and the cranes [cont.]; The tortoise and the eagle.

The wolf and the old woman [cont.]; The goat and the wolf.

The travelers and the flotsam [cont.]; The wild donkey and the tame one.