Vulture from an imperial album

Maker(s)
Artist: Muhammad
Historical period(s)
Mughal dynasty, Reign of Jahangir, 19th century
Movement
Mughal Court
School
Mughal School
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 38 x 26 cm (14 15/16 x 10 1/4 in)
Geography
India
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1948.19b
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Painting
Type

Album leaf with painting

Keywords
flower, India, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), nasta'liq script, Reign of Jahangir (1605 - 1627), vulture
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Seated upon a jagged rock, this long-billed vulture looks menacing as it fixes its beady eye on some distant target.  It is a fine example of the bird studies favored by the Mughal rulers, and is a copy of a painting made by the seventeenth-century painter Mansur, who was a master of bird and animal studies.  The verses around the picture compose a royal eulogy that could be applied to any king.

Published References
  • Sotheby's (London). Catalogues of Valuable Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, Comprising a series of very important Indian drawings by the court painters of the great Moghul emperors, Shah Jahan and Aurangzib, the property of a gentleman. London, December 12-13, 1929. lot 109.
  • Sport in Art: Some Wonderful Birds. vol. 1, no. 9, October 11, 1954. p. 62.
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court. Exh. cat. Washington, 1981. cat. 18c, pp. 181, 185-186.
  • Islamic Art and Archaeology: Collected Papers. Berlin. p. 670.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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