Ink and gouache on paper, with calligraphic Persian inscriptions Ito the upper and lower registers, with full page of historical narrative text inscribed to the verso. Unsigned. 

The scene depicts a group of figures clad in court dress and engaging in leisure activities such as playing chess, conversing, playing musical instruments and drinking, gathered around a central pool with swimming ducks in a courtyard terrace.

Throughout the verso text, Iskandar (Alexander the Great) is mentioned frequently, seemingly involved in spiritual or philosophical conversation at court, following an interaction with an unveiling or disguise, according to the recto inscription within the lower text box: "...seated from dancing and playing, and snatched the veil from upon the head of Alexander in the midst of the court..."

This specific scene is well known in Persian literature and is popularized in many popular Persian epics, notably Nizami Ganjavi's Iskandarnama (The Book of Alexander) and Ferdowsi's Shahnameh (The Book of Kings).

[Asian Art, Indian Art, Islamic Art] [Mughal Empire, South Asia, India] [Art, Folk Art, Military Art, Etching, Engraving, Lithographs, Prints, Ephemera]