"The Tortoise", Folio from an `Aja'ib al-Makhluqat (Wonders of Creation) of Qazwini 1550s

Editor: So, here we have a folio called "The Tortoise" from Qazwini's *Wonders of Creation*, painted with watercolors in the 1550s. I find it really intriguing—a rather bizarre scene unfolds, a blend of the natural and fantastical. It feels almost dreamlike, or something out of a fairytale gone slightly sideways. What captures your attention most about it? Curator: The delightful weirdness of it all, absolutely! I love how Qazwini, through this lens of scientific inquiry, lets his imagination run wild. That tortoise, for example, perched so nonchalantly above the scene—it feels symbolic. Are we seeing the steady passage of time overlooking the drama below? And that writhing figure amidst the creatures, half-submerged – a visceral reminder of humanity's place in this strange, marvelous world. What do you make of his gaze, the fellow peeking from behind the hill, looking so innocent? Editor: It is intriguing. Almost like a silent observer, detached yet present. The longer I look, the more the scene unsettles me. It reminds me a bit of those medieval bestiaries, cataloging the world but with this layer of moralising... Is there any religious context to that gaze perhaps? Curator: Precisely. This wasn't just about classifying animals, but understanding God's creation and humankind’s role within it. Think of those bestiaries as illustrated sermons! It also has that touch of cosmological speculation and ancient geographical thought – a pre-modern, interconnected worldview, if you like. Does the tortoise perhaps remind you of other cosmologies you've seen in visual arts? Editor: Well... that gives me a lot to consider in terms of our relation with nature. It has a strange sense of the epic and also something very childlike in its rendering. I didn’t expect to find all this encoded in a painting of a tortoise. Curator: Neither did I, when I first saw it! And that’s the beauty of art, isn’t it? To keep opening our eyes to different perspectives.