Miniature from volume 4 of a copy of Mustafa al-Darir’s Siyar-i-Nabi. “Ali Beheading Nadr ibn al-Harith in the Presence of the Prophet Muhammad”

Turkey, Istanbul; c. 1594, Leaf: 37.5 × 27 cm

Nadr ibn al-Harith had repeatedly mocked the Prophet Muhammad and the Koran, and his execution was consequently completely justified, seen with Muslim eyes. The miniature comes from a six-volume edition of the Life of the Prophet commissioned by Sultan Murad III and made in the court studio in Istanbul.

Ottoman painting had its heyday in the latter half of the 16th century. Its palette was simpler and more straightforward than that of its much-admired models from Iran. There is a detached look about the veiled Prophet and the statue-like bystanders, only one of whom shuts his eyes in horror.

Quelle: www.davidmus.dk/en/collections/islamic/materials/minitures