Artwork Page for An East African King Receives Three Emissaries, from a Khamsa of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

Details / Information for An East African King Receives Three Emissaries, from a Khamsa of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

An East African King Receives Three Emissaries, from a Khamsa of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

c. 1450

India, Sultanate period

Medium
gum tempera and ink on paper
Measurements
Overall: 28.6 x 21.6 cm (11 1/4 x 8 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1963.261
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The text on this page discusses the wars between Morocco and Zang, a region of eastern Africa centered in present-day Ethiopia. In the painting the King of Zang meets three envoys. The dramatic gesture of the Zangi king, who stretches out one hand as he takes an enormous stride toward the envoys, identifies him as a powerful, assertive figure.

This page is from the first known manuscript of a Persian literary text illustrated by an Indian artist, who had probably been trained in the Jain manuscript tradition. The figures are arranged on one plane in a straight line against a flat red background, typical of manuscript painting in India in the 1400s.
A vertically oriented gum tempera and ink painting on a fragmented manuscript page features black Persian calligraphy and a central scene. On our left, a dark-skinned figure in a green robe leans toward three lighter-skinned figures wearing patterned blue, yellow, and green robes. All wear turbans against a vibrant red background below a blue band. Four columns of script separated by red lines frame the illustration at the top and bottom of the page.

An East African King Receives Three Emissaries, from a Khamsa of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

c. 1450

India, Sultanate period

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