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Sultan Ali Mirza (likely), seated portrait — 15th century artist

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Written by: William RomanoSenior Specialist · Illumination (Tezhip)
Illumination (Tezhip) · Catalogue no. 253994
15th century artist

Sultan Ali Mirza (likely), seated portrait

StatusReference work · Not for sale
Held byWikimedia Commons
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Sultan Ali Mirza (likely), seated portrait Sultan Ali Mirza(likely), court scene. Manuscript created for "Sulṭān 'Alī Mīrzā Barlās of Samarqand. British Museum Or. 6810" Islamic Art and Archaeology: Collected Papers p.216 note 10 "The principal figure is not more grandly dressed than his retinue. His cross-legged posture resembles that of Shaybani Khan in a portrait attributed to Bihzad, but it is not seen in portraits or proxy portraits of Sultan Husayn. His robe is buff-coloured, and his only adornment is a ring on his left little finger. His round face appears rubbed, but in its concentrated gaze it may have had a trace of portraiture; there is perhaps a resemblance to pictures of Baysunghur ca.1420-30. It would seem that the frontispiece, and especially the portrayed letter, should help us to identify the man for whom the manuscript was made and to understand the puzzling shamsah mentioned earlier. In a monograph of 1926, F.R. Martin tells us that the letter in the frontispiece was read by Sir Thomas Arnold as containing the name Sultan Ali Mirza Barlas, but a precise transcription is not given. The writers identify him as a descendant of Timur's son Miranshah; his father Sulta

Artist / Maker15th century artist
Datecirca 1495date QS:P,+1495-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1480,Q5727902
Culture / OriginKhamsa of Nizami, British Library, Or. 6810
Dimensions661×859 px (digital)
DepartmentMiniature Painting
TypeManuscript painting
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Provenance & Source

Image & data: Wikimedia Commons, CC0 / Public Domain.

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