"Alexander Fights a Sea Battle", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
In the episode illustrated, Alexander the Great has ordered the construction of a tall tower surmounted by a revolving mirror in order to battle the pirates menacing the Mediterranean Sea. The protagonists appear as contemporary Indians wearing turbans and tunics, rather than ancient Greeks, and one of the fighters uses a gun, an invention from nearly two millennia after Alexander’s time.
Artwork Details
- Title: "Alexander Fights a Sea Battle", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
- Author: Amir Khusrau Dihlavi (Indian, Patiyali, 1253–1325 Delhi)
- Artist: Painting by Dharmadas
- Date: 1597–98
- Geography: Attributed to India
- Medium: Main support: Ink, opaque watercolor, gold on paper
Margins: Gold on dyed paper - Dimensions: H. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm)
W. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm) - Classification: Codices
- Credit Line: Gift of Alexander Smith Cochran, 1913
- Object Number: 13.228.32
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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