Iskandarnamah
This exquisitely detailed Persian miniature is an ink and watercolor on paper illustration from the ‘Iskandarnamah’ by the Afghani Medieval artist, Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād, and dates to circa 1495-1496.
The Iskandarnamah or The Book of Alexander is the Persian variant of the Alexander the Great legend. This image depicts Alexander (or Iskandar in Persian), the hero himself, surrounded by seven philosophers.
The Persian variant of Alexander associates him with philosophy, which is not surprising as he was a student of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle. In ‘Iskandarnamah’, Alexander attends a symposium to try and understand immortality. In the story, the symposium includes the likes of Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato.
The Persian Miniature, ‘Iskandarnamah’, is currently in the collections of the British Library in London, England.
For more on Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
