Folio page with 8 lines of black calligraphy, set on a tan background and enclosed by a multicoloured lined border. Below is a busy battle scene, showing 12 soldiers attacking each other, with the victors taking prisoners. To the left is a large cave, with a starry night sky above.
AKM284.16, A Battle at Night

© The Aga Khan Museum

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A Battle at Night
Folio from the Manuscript of Kulliyat (Collected Works) of Sa`di (d. 1292)
  • Accession Number:AKM284.16
  • Place:India, Agra
  • Dimensions:41.8 x 26.2 cm
  • Date:ca. 1604
  • Materials and Technique:opaque watercolour, ink, and gold on paper

  • This is the first painting to appear in the Gulistan, and it represents a story in the first chapter, “On the Conduct of Kings.” Beside a cave-mouth under a starry sky, one group attacks and defeats another, taking prisoners. It is marked as page 189 in the manuscript.

     

    See AKM284 for an introduction to the Kulliyat (Collected Works) of Sa'di, and other paintings from this manuscript.

     

    — Marika Sardar

Note: This online resource is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. We are committed to improving this information and will revise and update knowledge about this object as it becomes available.

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