Morgan Library, MS M.500

Morgan Library, MS M.500 is a 13th-century illuminated manuscript of the Manafi'-i hayavan ("The Benefits of Animals") of Ibn Bukhtishu (980–1058).

It is written in Persian, and is one of the earliest known examples of the "metropolitan style" of the Mongol Ilkhanid court, together with the 1290 Tarikh-i Jahangushay.

The trees and water are not directly drawn from nature, instead, they are composed of stylized vegetation that is placed in a decorative pattern on the stems.

Additionally, the majority of the miniatures in the Morgan Library are framed, and the background vegetation is depicted with scant naturalism.

The horizon in Figures 1-2 consists only of a grassy ground, and the background shows stylized trees as well as birds, which are common in earlier Arab paintings.

Two Gazelles and Two Mountain Rams
Figure 3. A mare followed by a stallion, standing beneath willow tree, from Manafay al Hayawan, Maragha, 1297-1299