A Safavid moulded leather binding, Persia, Safavid period, early 16th century, moulded leather and gilt, the central panel of a leather binding that has been moulded, gilded and decorated with designs of animals and birds in a landscape; including monkeys, simurghs, kylins and a young prince with bow and arrow, 26 x 16cm.There are two bindings of similar identical decoration in the Fundacion Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon (Lisbon, L.A.189) in which the same moulds have been used. These moulds were also used on a binding in the Topkapi Palace Museum (Revan 991).BibliographyThe Art of Islam, Hayward Gallery 1976 p 360, no 607Pope and Ackerman 1938-9 pl 963 p 1983Please refer to department for condition report