Warriors on Horseback

Artist/Culture Indian

Artist/Culture Sultanate

Date15th Century

Mediumwatercolor on paper

Dimensions31 x 23.2 cm (12 3/16 x 9 1/8 in.)

ClassificationsNon-Western Miniatures

Credit LineJerome Wheelock Fund

Terms

Object number1935.22

Descriptionpage of calligraphy with the miniature
Label TextThe episode of the Khamsa illustrated here shows Majnun interceding in the battle of the clans of Layla and Nawfal. The painting's squarish heads, solid background, bold palette and pictorial violation of margins-with banners extending boldly into text-are typical of sultanate painting. What is more unusual, however, is the miniature's peculiar vibrancy, the lack of compartmentalization in the composition, and the use of narrow slices of color in the sky. The origin of Sultanate painting is unclear. It has been suggested that local Indian painters in Delhi, having been taught by artists imported from Shiraz, followed Persian models, particularly in the use of the square jaw and the big, broad face.ProvenanceDemotte, New York NY

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