We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of NSW stands.

Title

King receiving a visitor with four columns of text written in nasta'liq script

circa 1500

Artists

Unknown Artist

No image

  • Details

    Other Title
    A king receiving a courtier in an alcove, a leaf from the Ikander-nama written in four columns of twenty lines of nasta'liq script within red rules
    Place where the work was made
    North India → India
    Period
    Sultanate 1320 - 1555 → India
    Date
    circa 1500
    Media category
    Painting
    Materials used
    ink and watercolour on paper
    Dimensions
    25.0 x 17.0 cm
    Credit
    Gift of Dr Jim Masselos 2022
    Location
    Not on display
    Accession number
    38.2022
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  • About

    Sultanate paintings borrowed heavily from pre-Islamic Indian vernacular painting traditions like Jain manuscript painting and incorporated stories, language and scripts from Persian examples. Before the official establishment of the Mughal Empire in 1556, regionally appointed Sultans aspired to the Persian model of Kingship and hence commissioned manuscripts recounting some of the great Persian epic poems telling of the heroic and admirable feats of the great Persian kings. It is possible that this folio comes from a copy of the Shahnameh, or Book of Kings written by Abu’l Qasim Firdausi in 1010 CE and depicts a King seated receiving a guest.

  • Bibliography

    Referenced in 1 publication