The Seljuk Sultan Barkiyaruq (r. 1093–1104) Enthroned, from a dispersed Assembly of Histories (Majma’ al-Tawarikh) manuscript Artist: Unknown

ca. 1425

Asian Art

By appointment, Duffy Study Room

The white robes and the hats worn by two of the figures in this painting may have been inspired by clothing worn by contemporaneous Mongol or Chinese envoys to the court of Barkiyaruq, the fifth Seljuk sultan, who is the subject of this painting and is seated at center. The figure to Barkiyaruq’s right sits on a folding stool, a nomadic furniture type adopted by both West Asian and Chinese courts in the first millennium C.E. The bright red color of the stool is reminiscent of Chinese lacquer, a further allusion to the longstanding ties between the Timurid and Chinese courts.

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Dimensions

sheet: 16 15/16 × 13 3/16 in. (43 × 33.5 cm)
image: 14 1/2 × 10 1/16 in. (36.9 × 25.6 cm)
image (Painting): 4 7/8 × 9 15/16 in. (12.4 × 25.2 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of Wilson P. Foss, Jr., Ph.B. 1913

Accession Number

1952.51.9

Geography

Herat, Afghanistan

Culture

Afghani, Islamic

Period

Timurid dynasty (1370–1507)

Classification

Paintings

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Bibliography
  • Reza Mohamad Ghiasian, "The “Historical Style” of Painting for Shahrukh and Its Revival in the Dispersed Manuscript of Majma? al-Tawarikh," Iranian Studies 48 no. 6 (2015), 873, 888, 889, 899
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States

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