Painting
first half 17th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Calligraphy was always regarded as more important than painting at the court of the Muslim Mughals. Jahangir and Shah Jahan preserved examples of the work of the greatest Iranian and Mughal calligraphers in albums. Their artists added illumination between the lines, and ornate borders. The minute birds have been included by the anonymous illuminator to the gold ground between the lines of Persian prose and a sura from the Koran.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, calligraphy panel, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, border and illumination Mughal, first half 17th century |
| Physical description | Painting, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, calligraphy panel. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Sir Robert Nathan, K.C.S.I., C.I.E |
| Object history | From the collection of Sir Robert Nathan (1868-1921), purchased from Maulvi Muhammad Hussain, Judge, Small Claims Court, Delhi. Sir Robert Nathan was Private Secretary to the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, in 1905; became Chief Secretary to the Government of East Bengal and Assam in 1907, and was Police Commissioner of Dhaka before leaving India in 1914. Given by Sir Robert Nathan, K.C.S.I., C.I.E. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project. R.P. 1921-4451 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Calligraphy was always regarded as more important than painting at the court of the Muslim Mughals. Jahangir and Shah Jahan preserved examples of the work of the greatest Iranian and Mughal calligraphers in albums. Their artists added illumination between the lines, and ornate borders. The minute birds have been included by the anonymous illuminator to the gold ground between the lines of Persian prose and a sura from the Koran. |
| Bibliographic reference | Susan Stronge, Painting for the Mughal Emperor. The Art of the Book 1560-1660, V&A Publications, 2002, pl. 114 and pp. 149-153 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.233-1921 |
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| Record created | May 23, 2013 |
| Record URL |
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