Painting
1598 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This page is from a manuscript of the Razmnama, or Book of War, copied in the late 16th century at the Mughal court. It was the Persian translation commissioned by the emperor Akbar of the Sanskrit epic text, the Mahabharata. Here, the sage Vyasa accompanied by three disciples in his hermitage, observes his son, Shuka, approaching them through the air like a ball of fire.The painting was purchased for the museum from the executors of the late J. C. French with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund in 1955.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Paper |
| Brief description | Painting with inscription on verso, on paper, Mughal, 1598 |
| Physical description | Razm-nama manuscript page, paper, with painting on one side and inscription on the other. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | The sage Vyasa accompanied by three disciples in his hermitage observes his son, Suka, approaching them through the air like a ball of fire, which resembles the sun. |
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (This is an ascription, not a signature, but is probably contemporary with the assembly of the manuscript from which this page has been detached.)
|
| Gallery label | SHUKA APPEARS TO VYASA AS A FIREBALL
Illustration to the Razmnama
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Mughal, by Banwari
the Younger
1598
IS.121-1955
Purchased with the assistance of
the Art Fund
The Razmnama, or ‘Book of War’, is the Persian version of the Mahabharata. Akbar commissioned the translation so that everyone at court could read this major text of Hinduism. In this way, he hoped to promote understanding between the followers of different religions within the empire. The translation was finished by 1587. This page comes from a slightly later, dated manuscript which had at least 200 paintings before it was broken up and sold on the London art market in 1921.(27/9/2013) |
| Credit line | Purchased with Art Fund support |
| Object history | This page numbered 591 is from the manuscript of the Razmnama sold at Sotheby's, London, on 25 October 1921 (lot 251). According to the catalogue of The Art of India and Pakistan (ed. Sir Leigh Ashton), London 1950, p. 147, '125 miniatures were sold separately and 24 with the rest of the manuscript.' The section dated 1007/1598 is now in the British Museum (see G. Meredith-Owens and R. Pinder-Wilson, "A Persian Translation of the Mahabharata", British Museum Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 3, London 1956, pp. 62-65, pl. 19, 20. Other pages in the V&A are IS.457-1950, IS.459-1950, Circ. 242-1922, Circ.244-1922. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This page is from a manuscript of the Razmnama, or Book of War, copied in the late 16th century at the Mughal court. It was the Persian translation commissioned by the emperor Akbar of the Sanskrit epic text, the Mahabharata. Here, the sage Vyasa accompanied by three disciples in his hermitage, observes his son, Shuka, approaching them through the air like a ball of fire.The painting was purchased for the museum from the executors of the late J. C. French with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund in 1955. |
| Associated objects |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.121-1955 |
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| Record created | May 24, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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