Prince Alamshah Rustam with Mihr Afruz in a garden pavilion
Painting
ca.1562-1577 (made)
ca.1562-1577 (made)
The Hamzanama, or 'Book of Hamza' was commissioned by the great Mughal emperor Akbar in the mid-16th century. The epic story of a character based very loosely on the life of the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad chronicles the fantastical adventures of Hamza as he and his band of heroes fight against the enemies of Islam. The stories, from a long-established oral tradition, were written down in Persian, the language of the court, in multiple volumes. These originally had 1400 illustrations, of which fewer than 200 survive today. No contemporary version of the text is known, making it difficult to establish the narrative. Work on the volumes probably began in about 1562 and took 15 years to complete.
This painting depicts Hamza's son, Rustam, with Mihr Afruz in a garden pavilion with attendants. Some of the faces have been overpainted in later times. The borders, now all cut down in size, are marbled.
This painting depicts Hamza's son, Rustam, with Mihr Afruz in a garden pavilion with attendants. Some of the faces have been overpainted in later times. The borders, now all cut down in size, are marbled.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Prince Alamshah Rustam with Mihr Afruz in a garden pavilion |
| Materials and techniques | Gouache on prepared cotton |
| Brief description | Prince Alamshah Rustam falls in love with Mihr Afruz and a feast is given in a garden pavilion. Hamzanama. 1562-77 |
| Physical description | Two men within a hexagonal pavilion kneel before a princess and her servants; an old man kneels outside on the tiled surround next to a small rectangular basin at the centre of the formal water channels that run through the surrounding garden. Railings enclose the garden filled with blossoming trees and plantains. Text written on paper is on the back of the painting done on cotton; each is backed with cotton and paper respectively, giving the folio four layers. Some of the faces have been overpainted at a later date. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (text number 59 on back) |
| Object history | Folio from a series of illustrated volumes commissioned by the Mughal emperor Akbar. bought for the museum by Caspar Purdon Clarke in Srinagar in 1881-1882. |
| Historical context | The 'Hamzanama' was the first major project undertaken by the new painting studio of the Mughal court. Directed by two Iranian masters brought to India by Humayun, work began under Akbar and was said to have taken fifteen years to complete, drawing from artists from all over northern Hindustan. |
| Summary | The Hamzanama, or 'Book of Hamza' was commissioned by the great Mughal emperor Akbar in the mid-16th century. The epic story of a character based very loosely on the life of the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad chronicles the fantastical adventures of Hamza as he and his band of heroes fight against the enemies of Islam. The stories, from a long-established oral tradition, were written down in Persian, the language of the court, in multiple volumes. These originally had 1400 illustrations, of which fewer than 200 survive today. No contemporary version of the text is known, making it difficult to establish the narrative. Work on the volumes probably began in about 1562 and took 15 years to complete. This painting depicts Hamza's son, Rustam, with Mihr Afruz in a garden pavilion with attendants. Some of the faces have been overpainted in later times. The borders, now all cut down in size, are marbled. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.1506-1883 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | July 19, 2002 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
