"Alexander Fights a Sea Battle", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

1597–98

Not on view

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

More Artwork

By Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

In the same medium

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"Khizr Comes to the Ascetic's Cell", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi, Amir Khusrau Dihlavi Indian, Ink and opaque watercolor on paper — "Khizr Comes to the Ascetic's Cell", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
ca. 1450

"Entertainment in a Garden", Folio from a Khamsa of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi, Matla' al-Anvar
, Amir Khusrau Dihlavi Indian, Opaque watercolor and gold on paper — "Entertainment in a Garden", Folio from a Khamsa of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi, Matla' al-Anvar
Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
second half 16th century

"The Story of the Princess of the Blue Pavillion: The Youth of Rum Is Entertained in a Garden by a Fairy and her Maidens", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi, Amir Khusrau Dihlavi Indian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper — "The Story of the Princess of the Blue Pavillion: The Youth of Rum Is Entertained in a Garden by a Fairy and her Maidens", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
Multiple artists/makers
1597–98

"A Bathhouse Keeper is Consumed by Passion for his Beloved", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi, Amir Khusrau Dihlavi Indian, Main support: Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper<br/>Margins: Gold on dyed paper — "A Bathhouse Keeper is Consumed by Passion for his Beloved", Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
Nar Singh
1597–98

Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi, Amir Khusrau Dihlavi Indian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper — Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
Amir Khusrau Dihlavi
17th century

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