Art, Symbol & Imagination
Camaralzaman Watches the Birds: Edmund Dulac
Original caption: Prince Camaralzaman and the Birds
Working in an elderly gardener's plot, Camaralzaman sees one bird kill another and watches other birds bury the victim and punish its attacker. Among the torn remains he discovers the talisman stolen from Badoura's girdle, making this strange episode the first real hope of reunion. Housman lets the birds' acts of loyalty and retribution restore the prince's confidence after his long separation. Dulac concentrates on the encounter overhead, placing the prince beneath the branches rather than showing the later recovery of the stone.
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Citation
Edmund Dulac. "Camaralzaman Watches the Birds: Edmund Dulac" [source caption]. In Princess Badoura: A Tale from the Arabian Nights, Laurence Housman. Illustrated by Edmund Dulac, 1913, Hodder & Stoughton. Source scan leaf 97. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/badoura-birds
Source details
Title from the printed caption. Editorial description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
The account follows the birds' behaviour as described in this retelling, not an identification of their species or an assertion about animal behaviour.
Sources
From the book
Princess Badoura: A Tale from the Arabian NightsLaurence Housman1913More from this book
Princess Badoura in the Garden: Edmund Dulac
The King of China Visits Badoura: Edmund Dulac
Camaralzaman as an Astrologer: Edmund DulacRelated illustrations
Cite this illustration
Edmund Dulac. Camaralzaman Watches the Birds: Edmund Dulac. Princess Badoura: A Tale from the Arabian Nights. Scan leaf 97. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/badoura-birds