Revisiting a Royal Sultanate Manuscript from Bengal: The Sharafnama of Nasir al-Din Nusrat Shah of 938/1531–2

Abstract

ABSTRACT The subject of this paper is a striking copy of the Sharafnama by Nizami dated 938/1531–2, made for the ruler of Bengal, Nusrat Shah (r.1519–32). This slim volume contains nine vibrant paintings that show the assimilation of both Indic and Persian artistic traditions: adaptations common to several fifteenth-century manuscripts from the Indian sultanates. However, there are no other surviving manuscripts that were produced in the court of the Bengal Sultanate, and no evidence of commercial workshops in the region. Therefore, it is a challenge to situate this Sharafnama. Since the manuscript was published some forty years ago, there have been only a few cursory mentions in general discussions. This paper aims to contextualise this manuscript within Indo-Persian pictorial and narrative traditions. The Sharafnama can be better understood in this context of both local traditions and wider Persianate culture.