Folio from a Sulwan al-Muta (Solace of pleasure) by Ibn Zafar; recto: text; verso: illustration: The bear and the monkeys

Ibn Zafar, a native of Sicily, composed the Sulwan al-Muta (Solace of pleasure) in the twelfth century. The text belongs to the popular genre of animal fables, intended as moral and ethical guides for the ruling elite. Such accounts were often referred to as "mirror of princes." In this illustration, a bear has taken his friend--a monkey with failing eyesight--to the monkey-doctor, known for his malice and meanness. Rather than showing compassion toward his ailing visitor, the monkey-physician makes his patient climb a tree in order to be examined. The illustration deftly captures the subtle psychological interaction of the protagonists: under the watchful eye of the bear, the gray monkey hesitantly approaches the physician, who is comfortably perched on a branch.