"Three Men Before a Castle", Folio from a Khavarannama (The Book of the East) of ibn Husam al-Din
ca. 1476–86
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 15 11/16 in. (39.8 cm) W. 11 3/8 in. (28.9 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1955
Accession Number
55.184.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Three Men Before a Castle*, a stunning folio from the *Khavarannama (The Book of the East, an epic Persian poem by Maulana Muhammad Ibn Husam-Din. Created around 1476–86, this illuminated page captures a dramatic moment with three figures poised before a majestic fortress, rendered in the refined style of late Timurid manuscript painting. The work hails from the Islamic world, likely a Timurid or Turkman production center like Herat or Shiraz, where such codices blended poetry with vivid visuals to narrate heroic tales of the Prophet Ali's eastern conquests. Artists employed ink for p...