MUGHAL INDIA, LATE 16TH CENTURY

Details

YAHYA IS RECEIVED BY ISHAQ THE MUSLIM
Mughal India, late 16th century
From the Akhbar-i Barmakiyan, gouache heightened with gold on paper, Yahya in yellow converses with Ishaq and his companion, sheep wander around the courtyard and attendants in the foreground, five lines of black nasta'liq above, minimal retouching, verso with nasta'liq text from the Gulistan of Sa'di within applied margins
Miniature 9 3/8 x 5 7/8in. (23.8 x 15cm.)

Provenance

Sold Sotheby's, London, 1 July, 1969, lot 85

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium

Lot Essay

The manuscript concerns the history of the Barmecide family. The ancestor of this family was a fire-worshipper called Barmak who lived in Balkh in Khorassan during the second half of the 8th century. His grandson Yahya had two sons, Ja'far and Al-Fazl. All three were put to death by Harun al-Rashid in the 9th century.
The text describes how Ishaq received Yahya with great hospitality.

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