Watercolour
ca. 1562-1577 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Hamzanama, or Book of Hamza, was commissioned by the great Mughal emperor Akbar (r.1556–1605) in the mid 16th century. It is based very loosely on the life of the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad. The epic story chronicles the fantastic adventures of Hamza as he and his band of heroes fight against the enemies of Islam and against monsters, demons, dragons and sorcerers. The tales, from a long-established oral tradition, were written down by calligraphers in Persian, the language of the court, in multiple volumes. These originally had 1400 illustrations, of which fewer than 200 survive today. Work probably began in about 1562 and took 15 years to complete.
This scene, set in a rocky landscape, has not been conclusively identified. A king, distinguished by the feather aigrette in his turban, grasps a demoness by the hair and raises his sword to behead her. His companions stay behind the rocks, making conventional gestures of amazement. The blue sky is filled with stylised clouds typical of Chinese decoration and derived from Iranian painting.
This scene, set in a rocky landscape, has not been conclusively identified. A king, distinguished by the feather aigrette in his turban, grasps a demoness by the hair and raises his sword to behead her. His companions stay behind the rocks, making conventional gestures of amazement. The blue sky is filled with stylised clouds typical of Chinese decoration and derived from Iranian painting.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gouache on prepared cotton backed with paper; the Persian text on the reverse written on paper backed with cotton; the four layers then glued together to make a single folio |
| Brief description | A hero kills a demoness. Painting illustrating the Hamzanama, Mughal, ca. 1562-1577. |
| Physical description | In the foreground, a hero raises a curved sword above his head with one hand, and in the other grasps the hair of the demoness he is about to behead. His companions hide behind rocks, making conventional gestures of amazement. The sky above the rocky outcrop and cave is filled with Chinese clouds. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 9 (painting)
10 (text) |
| Object history | An illustration to the epic tales of the Hamzanama, ca.1562-1577 commissioned by Akbar. bought for the museum by Caspar Purdon Clarke in Srinagar in 1881. |
| Historical context | The production of the illustrated volumes of the Hamzanama ('Book of Hamza') was the first major undertaking of the new Mughal painting studio. Directed by two Iranian masters brought to Hindustan by the emperor Humayun, work began early in the reign of his son, Akbar, and took fifteen years to complete. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The Hamzanama, or Book of Hamza, was commissioned by the great Mughal emperor Akbar (r.1556–1605) in the mid 16th century. It is based very loosely on the life of the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad. The epic story chronicles the fantastic adventures of Hamza as he and his band of heroes fight against the enemies of Islam and against monsters, demons, dragons and sorcerers. The tales, from a long-established oral tradition, were written down by calligraphers in Persian, the language of the court, in multiple volumes. These originally had 1400 illustrations, of which fewer than 200 survive today. Work probably began in about 1562 and took 15 years to complete. This scene, set in a rocky landscape, has not been conclusively identified. A king, distinguished by the feather aigrette in his turban, grasps a demoness by the hair and raises his sword to behead her. His companions stay behind the rocks, making conventional gestures of amazement. The blue sky is filled with stylised clouds typical of Chinese decoration and derived from Iranian painting. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.1513-1883 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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