"Amir Khusrau (d. Delhi, 1325) is considered the foremost Persian-language poet of the Indian subcontinent. His Khamsah ('Quintet'), composed between 1298 and 1302, follows the main lines of that of the Persian poet Nizami. Although illustrated copies are known from the late fourteenth century onwards, these manuscripts have received relatively little attention due to the absence of a translation."

"This book offers extended summaries of the narratives, and identifies pictures' subjects, thus making available a previously inaccessible subject matter. Some 33 manuscripts from Iran, Ottoman Turkey, and Sultanate and Mughal India are discussed in depth. These manuscripts represent varying levels of production, from the workman-like to the exquisite princely volume. The discussion of individual works is integrated into the historical background and covers issues of dating, origin, painters and their work, patronage, intention and use."--Jacket.