Nushirvan Receives Mihras, the Envoy of the Byzantine Emperor: From the so-called First Small Shahnama (Book of Kings), ca. 1300–1325
Northwestern Iran or Baghdad
Ink, colors, gold, and silver on paper
Technical Glossary
Northwestern Iran or Baghdad
Ink, colors, gold, and silver on paper
7 1/2 x 5 1/4 in. (19 x 13.2 cm)
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1934 (34.24.3)
The Byzantine emperor, concerned about the possibility of an invasion by the mighty Iranian forces, sent an embassy under his general Mihras carrying a letter of conciliation and lavish gifts, and a peaceful agreement was eventually concluded. In the miniature, the letter—which assumes a special significance in this context, since the Ilkhanid rulers and the Catholic pope exchanged similar missives—and the gifts in the form of gold cups are shown at the foot of the shah's throne. Mihras is represented as a type of Crusader, something between a warrior and a priest, wearing a helmet and holding a cross.
