This work, known as Bahram Gur Fights the Karg, is from an illustrated version of the great Persian epic poem Shahnama. The text itself, in Persian script, is the most obviously Persian element, but the carefully composed miniature painting on paper in ink is also a significant feature of Persian art. Also, the image is of a human being, differing it from other Islamic art which traditionally forbade the depiction of human figures, a prohibition not as strictly followed in Persia.

Work is in the public domain, image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Demotte_Shahname_002.jpg

Although people sometimes do appear in early Islamic art, accurate and detailed representations don't appear. In part, this is because some feared that realistic depictions of religious figures could encourage idolatry. However, it is also in keeping with the traditions of the early Medieval period, where few artists rendered figures with the same emphasis on precision that later Renaissance artists would employ. 

During the thirteenth century, Mongolian armies invaded Persia, toppling the Khwarezmid Empire then ruling the area and creating a Khanate throughout the Persian Empire. Known as the Ilkhanid Empire, the Mongol rulers adopted Islam and many traditional Persian customs, but also imported many Chinese artisans and craftsman. This Chinese influence is present in Bahram Gur fights the Karg through the detailed landscape in the background of the painting and the vaguely Asian characteristics of the main subject, a historical Persian King.

Work is in the public domain, image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Demotte_Shahname_002.jpg

Although separated by about 300 years and two large empires, both Bahram Gur fights the Karg and Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings are depictions of rulers in idealized forms. Additionally, each have a blending of Islamic, Indian, and Asian influences, thanks to their artists working in pan-national empires. Both works are also executed on paper as fine miniatures.

Work is in the public domain, image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Demotte_Shahname_002.jpg

Rembrandt van Rijn was perhaps the greatest Dutch master of the seventeenth century, notable for his portraits and paintings on biblical themes. Rembrandt's themes and subjects were almost provincial, but his style built on Italian baroque painting that used strong contrasts. Rembrandt's ability to use darkness and shadow in unique and interesting ways is particularly notable.

Johannes Vermeer did title his painting The Astronomer, but the painting also gives many clues as to the nature of the individual's profession. The placement of the man working in a study with tools indicates he was some kind of scholar, and not a notable figure in his society. The use of a globe, and his looking out a window, indicate his interest in astronomy, which in the seventeenth century utilized "celestial globes" portraying stars.

Figure 3: The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn (1642)

Figure 4: The Astronomer by Johannes Vermeer (1668)

In one sense, Rembrandt van Rijn's The Night Watch is similar to many other Dutch golden-age works, focusing on light and dark contrasts, scenes of Dutch life, and celebrating Dutch unity against the Spanish in war. However, Rembrandt's sense of motion and movement stands out in this painting, with every figure in the painting doing something and interacting with each other and the painting's viewer.

Figure 3: The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn (1642)

Figure 4: The Astronomer by Johannes Vermeer (1668)

Perspective was still a relatively new innovation when Vermeer painted The Astronomer in 1668, having only been developed in the early sixteenth century in Italy. Vermeer's ability to portray the intense depth of the room shows his own mastery of perspective, and its utilization in painting.

Figure 3: The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn (1642)

Figure 4: The Astronomer by Johannes Vermeer (1668)

The Spanish painter Diego Velázquez was one of the leading lights of Baroque painting, and Las Meninas, shown here, is widely held as his masterpiece. The 1656 painting shows many aspects typical of Baroque painting, including highly mannered poses, a strict composition, and ornate detail.

Figure 1: Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez (1656)

Figure 2: Charles IV of Spain and His Family Francisco de Goya (1801)

Francisco de Goya's placement of himself behind an easel indicates the Royal Family stands in a room in which he is working, making "the artist's studio" the most likely choice, especially given the exhibition of other pieces of art in the room behind the Royal Family. This answer choice can be further confirmed by ruling out the other answer choices: nothing in the image suggests that it portrays a royal balcony, the Princess' bedroom, or the royal dining room. Plus, the members of the Royal Family in de Goya's painting look somewhat uncomfortable; this suggests that they are not in a space in which they would normally be, adding further evidence that the painting shows the artist's studio.

Figure 1: Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez (1656)

Figure 2: Charles IV of Spain and His Family Francisco de Goya (1801)