"Khusrau Seated on his Throne", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami. Painting by Shaikh Zada. Date: A.H. 931/A.D. 1524

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"Khusrau Seated on his Throne", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami
Author: Nizami (Ilyas Abu Muhammad Nizam al-Din of Ganja) (probably 1141–1217)
Calligrapher: Sultan Muhammad Nur (ca. 1472–ca. 1536)
Calligrapher: Mahmud Muzahhib
Artist: Painting by Shaikh Zada
Object Name: Folio from an illustrated manuscript
Date: A.H. 931/A.D. 1524–25
Geography: present-day Afghanistan, Herat
Culture: Islamic
Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Page: H. 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm) W. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm) Mat: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm) W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
Classification: Codices
Credit Line: Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913
Accession Number: 13.228.7.4
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Seated on his throne under a colorful canopy, the king Khusrau Parviz holds court. Toward the middle of the composition, a pair of figures captures our attention. A bearded man holds an inscribed paper in one hand, while a young man applies ink to a seal ring on the other. This action likely identifies the bearded man as a chancery scribe, or courtier, entrusted with writing official correspondence and affixing the ruler’s seal.

Provenance
F. R. Martin, Sweden; Alexander Smith Cochran, Yonkers, NY (until 1913; gifted to MMA)