Noah’s Ark

Maker(s)
Artist: Attributed to Miskin (active late 1570s–ca. 1604)
Historical period(s)
Mughal dynasty, Reign of Akbar, ca. 1590
Movement
Mughal Court
School
Mughal School
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 28.1 x 15.6 cm (11 1/16 x 6 1/8 in)
Geography
India
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1948.8
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Painting

Keywords
boat, drum, India, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Noah's Ark, Reign of Akbar (1556 - 1605)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Noah, his head surrounded by a flaming halo, sits at the center of this painting. A popular figure in the Qur'an, Noah (in Arabic, Nuh) also figures in poetic texts such as the Diwan (Collected Poems) by Hafiz. 

Miskin, one of the greatest painters in the workshop of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) is thought to have painted this page. An expert draftsman and colorist, Miskin was best known for his skilled and whimsical depictions of animals and birds.

Published References
  • Barbara Schmitz. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court. vol. 28, no. 1, Spring 1982. fig. 4.
  • Lincoln Paine. The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World. New York. .
  • Masters of Indian Painting. Exh. cat. Zurich. vol. 1: pp. 167-186, fig. 11.
  • Shanti Swarup. Flora and Fauna in Mughal Art. Bombay. fig. 33.
  • Howard Hollis and Company, The Cleveland Museum of Art. Islamic Art: Selected Examples from the Loan Exhibiton of Islamic Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. cat. Cleveland. p. 24.
  • Hossam Elkhadem, Ahmed Medhoune, Nathalie Levy. A la Découverte de l'Âge d'Or des Sciences Arabes: Catalogue de l'Exposition Itinérante. Exh. cat. Brussels. p. 42.
  • Mario Bussagli. Indian Miniatures. London and New York. p. 47, pl. 18.
  • Anand Amaladass, Gudrun Loewner. Christian Themes in Indian Art. India. p. 48.
  • Stuart Cary Welch. MIniatures from a Manuscript of the Diwan-i-Hafiz. vol. 11, no. 3 Bombay, June 1958. p. 57, fig. 2.
  • Katharine Gibson. More Pictures to Grow Up With. New York and London. p. 59.
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court. Exh. cat. Washington, 1981. cat. 13, pp. 60,121,123-4, fig. 4.
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court., 2nd ed. Washington and Ahmedabad, India, 2012. cat. 17, p. 98.
  • Emilie Savage-Smith. Magic and Divination in Early Islam. The Formation of the Classical Islamic World, vol. 42 Aldershot, Hunts, England and Burlington, Vermont. p. 367.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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