"Timur before Battle", Folio from a Dispersed Copy of the Zafarnama (Book of Victories) of Sharaf al-din 'Ali Yazdi
A.H. 839/ 1436 CE
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm) W. 8 in. (20.3 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1955
Accession Number
55.121.16
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the striking folio *Timur before Battle*, a jewel from a dispersed 1436 copy of the *Zafarnama* (Book of Victories), authored the Persian historian Sharaf al-Din 'Ali Yazdi. Illustrated by Ya'qub ibn Hasan, known asaj al-Husaini, this page captures the mighty conqueror Timur—better known as Tamerlane—poised for war amid his soldiers and steeds. Measuring 11½ by 8 inches, it's a masterful example of Timurid manuscript art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Islamic Art collection. The *Zafarnama* chronicles Timur's epic campaigns across Asia in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, gl...