Bookbinding with Animals in a Landscape mid-16th century This bookbinding is a rare example surviving from the Akbar period. Although the contents of the manuscript it covered are now dispersed, it once contained the Persian poet Jamis retelling of the tale of Yusuf and Zulayka from the Quran. Depictions of predators chasing and attacking prey were painted and gilded onto a papier-mché surface that was then lacquered to produce a durable finish. Green and gold cartouches decorate the leather doublures of the interior.. Bookbinding with Animals in a Landscape 451010