Alexander the great receives the messenger of Darius

This painting is copied from Sharafnama of Nizami by Ahmad called Hamid Khan for Nusrat Shah, Sultan of Bengal.

Nizami (1141-1209) the unrivalled master of romantic epics in Persian literature, recounts the history and legends associated with Alexander the Great in his long poetical work Iskandernama (Book of Alexander), the first part of which is the Sharafnama (Book of Victory).

This painting depicts the story of the messengers of Darius who presented Alexander with polo sticks and balls in a contemptuous reference to his youth. This Bengal school of painting exhibits many Indian features. The architecture is suggestive of the city of Gaur, many important buildings of which were constructed by Nusrat Shah, the manuscript’s patron. This painting is a fine example of the art of painting in India in the sixteenth century.