Fig. 51 (cat. no. 46). Iskandar Enthroned, page from the Great Mongol Shahnama (Book of Kings), Iran (probably Tabriz) 1330s. Ink, colors, and gold on paper.
Musée du Louvre, Paris (7096)
Source: p.53, The Legacy of Genghis Khan Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia 1256-1353


46     Fig. 51
Iskandar Enthroned
Image: 29 x 20 cm (11⅜ x 7⅞ in.)
Musée du Louvre, Paris (7096)

Iskandar (Alexander the Great) was another of the popular hero-kings in the Persian epic, and according to the text was the son of the just king Darab and a princess of Rum (Byzantium). Several sections in the Shahnama are devoted to him, and interestingly, these stories are heavily represented in the Great Mongol Shahnama: twelve of the extant paintings belong to the Iskandar cycle. Many of the stories in the chapter on Iskandar recount his travels and adventures in strange and far-off lands. He ruled over Rum until he invaded Iran, defeated his half brother, and assumed power in Iran.
The painting shows a haloed Iskandar seated on his throne, Framed by the niche behind him, and flanked by numerous attendants.¹ In front is a low partition. The heading above the miniature reads: “The beginning of the story,” while the subject of the miniature is identified in a panel above the throne.

1.Grabar and Blair 1980, pp. 112 -13, no. 28.
Source: p.255, The Legacy of Genghis Khan Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia 1256-1353

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Louvre, Paris
Title of Work: Shahnama (Great Mongol)
Manuscript: OA 7094-6
Accession Number: OA 7096
Chapter 20 - Iskandar (14 years)
Scene: Iskandar enthroned
Dimensions (h x w): 290 x 200 mm
Format: Rectangular within borders
Reconstructed Folio: 164r
Gregorian Date: 1335 (circa)
School: Tabriz
Iskandar (Sikandar, Alexander) ascends the throne.
Source: Shahnama Project