Court of Gayumars Persian miniature

Gayumarth, first Shah of Iran, is enthroned among his courtiers clad in leopard skins at the opening of the Shahnama-yi Shahi (The King's Book of Kings). This miniature was probably painted by Sultan Mohammed, and has been considered the most beautiful image of all Persian art. The picture was painted at the request of Shah Tahmasp. The work was presented by the Safavid ruler to the Ottoman sultan Selim II in 1568. The book was broken apart by Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., in the mid-1970s; this plate was one of those Houghton donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.