In the title compound, C(16)H(13)N(3)O(4), the dihedral angle between the terminal benzene rings is 14.02 (7)°. The carbonyl groups are anti with respect to each other, which facilitates their participation in the formation of supra-molecular chains. Each side of the -C(=O)N(H)N(H)C(=O)- residue associates with a centrosymmetrically related mol-ecule, resulting in the formation of essentially flat ten-membered {⋯O=CNN(H)}(2) synthons. The resultant chains are further consolidated in the crystal structure via C-H⋯O contacts.