Painted on a sheet of paper that had previously been a leaf in an Arabic legal text, specifically on Islamic law about hunting: it discusses the death and killing of animals, in particular about whether different kinds of prey are halal or not. Of the two lines above the painting, only the first is fully legible, but the lines appear to say: "[When] the prey is thrown and falls in water or on to a hard surface or a mountain, and from there on to the earth, it cannot be eaten. And if it falls on to the earth from the beginning, ... And as for what has been shot by a gun and killed ...". The line of text below the painting seems to continue the same discussion under a new topic, which is indicated by a heading in red ink, possibly saying "The preferred spot [to slaughter an animal]." The line is cut off at the top, and the meaning of the first word is obscure. The rest of the line says, "The preferred spot is between the lips and beards ..." and the catchword at the bottom left of the page reads "for slaughter.", representing the first word(s) of the next page. The text in the right margin starts with a line that is not fully legible because it is also cut off at the top, but from the words at the end of the first line, it says "And if they [the feet of an animal?] are extended, it cannot be eaten, and if its hair is [relaxed?], it cannot be eaten, and if it is standing, it can be eaten -- this is all true when it is not known to be alive at the time of slaughter, and it does not bleed, and it does not stir. When bleeding or movement are noticeable, it can be eaten. [This is a] summary." There is further text on the verso
