Basu beheads Namadpush and enters Acre Castle
Painting
ca. 1562-1577 (made)
ca. 1562-1577 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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 fantastic 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. Work probably began in about 1562 and took 15 years to complete.
This illustration depicts Hamza's spy, Basu, at bottom left, reading a letter he has taken from the body of Namadpush, the enemy he has just beheaded. Donning the dead man's clothes, Basu pretends to be Namadpush and is shown a second time in the same painting, standing outside Acre Castle. The dark blue, starry sky and sleeping shepherds indicate this takes place in the middle of the night.
This illustration depicts Hamza's spy, Basu, at bottom left, reading a letter he has taken from the body of Namadpush, the enemy he has just beheaded. Donning the dead man's clothes, Basu pretends to be Namadpush and is shown a second time in the same painting, standing outside Acre Castle. The dark blue, starry sky and sleeping shepherds indicate this takes place in the middle of the night.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Basu beheads Namadpush and enters Acre Castle (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Gouache on prepared cotton backed with paper; Persian text on reverse written on paper backed with cotton; the four layers glued together |
| Brief description | Basu beheads Namadpush, disguises himself, and enters Acre Castle. Hamzanama. c.1562-77. |
| Physical description | The spy Basu kneels under a tree at lower left beside the body of Namadpush, the enemy he has just beheaded. Basu reads a letter he has taken from Namadpush's body, and then, dressed in the dead man's clothes, is shown again outside the gate of Acre Castle. The stars in the sky, the sleeping shepherds in the foreground, and the breastfeeding mother in the castle, all show that this takes place in the middle of the night. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Numbers '10' and '7' (Unknown; Arabic; On white wall of hut in foreground at right; black ink) |
| Object history | Illustration to the epic Story of Hamza, 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. |
| 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 fantastic 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. Work probably began in about 1562 and took 15 years to complete. This illustration depicts Hamza's spy, Basu, at bottom left, reading a letter he has taken from the body of Namadpush, the enemy he has just beheaded. Donning the dead man's clothes, Basu pretends to be Namadpush and is shown a second time in the same painting, standing outside Acre Castle. The dark blue, starry sky and sleeping shepherds indicate this takes place in the middle of the night. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.1520-1883 |
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| Record created | July 19, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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