From 17th Century To 18th Century

    The Futuh al-Haramayn is a poetic description of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, composed by Muhi al-din Lari in the early sixteenth century.
    Often lavishly illustrated, it provides instructions on the hajj pilgrimage rituals and descriptions of important sites Muslim pilgrims can visit.
    The Futuh was popular in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when it was mainly copied in the Ottoman realm from Mecca to Istanbul, and also in Central Asia and India.
    Illustrations of sites and buildings are commonly shown from a bird's-eye view.
   Symbols and other details enable the reader to identify sites where important miracles of the Prophet and other events took place
    Differences in style and quality exist.
   This Deccani version presents considerable flourish through the curving orange lines of the trees, animated purple mountains concealing hidden grotesques at their rocky edges, and bright palette
   TITLE:
   The Futuh al-Haramayn is a poetic description of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, composed by Muhi al-din Lari in the early sixteenth century
   ORIGINAL_TEXT:
   Often lavishly illustrated, it provides instructions on the hajj pilgrimage rituals and descriptions of important sites Muslim pilgrims can visit
   SUMMARY:
    The Futuh al-Haramayn is a poetic description of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, composed by Muhi al-din Lari in the early sixteenth century.
    Often lavishly illustrated, it provides instructions on the hajj pilgrimage rituals and descriptions of important sites Muslim pilgrims can visit.

An Extensive Wooded Landscape

    The topography in this late work by Koninck was probably inspired by the eastern Dutch province of Gelderland but is nonetheless imaginary.
    Dutch landscapists usually made up their views in the studio, often using drawings from nature for particular motifs.
    A river landscape of 1676 in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, is very similar in composition, and features the same elegant hunting boat, a jacht (yacht), to the right.

Entrance to a Dutch Port

    Van de Velde received his first training from his father, a celebrated draftsman of ships.
    This view of a port combines nautical accuracy with the tonal painting he learned from another teacher, Simon de Vlieger, whose work hangs nearby.
    The vessels depicted range from small cargo and fishing boats to a state barge and East Indiamen destined for long voyages of trade and imperialism.