Qanbar Delivers `Ali's Letter to Mir Sayyaf (painting, verso; text, recto), folio from a manuscript of the Khavarannama by Muhammad ibn Husam

Written in 1426, the Khavarannama narrates the military exploits of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, particularly those of `Ali ibn Abi Talib, his cousin and son-in-law. Inspired by the famous Persian epic the Shahnama, the Khavarannama replaces the ancient Persian heroes with the champions of early Islam and relates fictional events in which `Ali battles infidels, demons, dragons, and his main adversary, King of Khavaran. This folio belongs to the first known copy of this work, a richly illustrated but now dispersed manuscript. In the painting, Qanbar, the freed slave of `Ali, kneels before Mir Sayyaf, a famous military commander who has declared war on `Ali. In Qanbar’s extended hands is a rolled letter containing `Ali’s response. The commander and messenger transact this diplomatic exchange in an elegant yet fortified palace, with armed courtiers guarding the doorway. The stocky figures wearing white turbans with droopy ends, bright colors, decorative green grounds, and busy compositions are typical of the paintings produced in the city of Shiraz in southern Iran in the second half of the 15th century.