Two Mughal Princesses Hunting Gamer Birds from the St. Petersburg Album
The borders (signed by M. Baqir) surrounding the painting are decorated in gold with animals in formalized landscapes.
The borders (signed and dated 1757-58 by M. Hadi) surrounding the six panels of nasta’liq calligraphy are decorated with large floral arabesques in silver and gold on dark blue.
- Provenance
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To 1739
Mughal Imperial Library, Delhi, to 1739 [1]To late 19th century
Persian Imperial Library, to late 19th century [2]B y late 19th century
Russian Imperial Library (probably), by late 19th century [3]Private collection, Europe [4]
To 1994
Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York City, to 1994From 1994
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. in 1994Notes:
[1] Indian paintings in the St. Petersburg Album were taken from Delhi, India in the 1739 sack of the imperial capital of the Mughal dynasty (1526-1858) by Nadir Shah of Persia. Many of the finest Mughal paintings were included in the loot, and several were assembled (in Iran) into an album. In the later 19th century, the album was taken apart and dispersed in Europe - with the major portion ending up in the Russian Imperial Collections. Other works were sold through the art market at that time. All known pages from the St. Petersburg Album have been out of Iran for a century, and the Indian paintings were taken from India more than 250 years ago (see Curatorial Note 5, Milo C. Beach, March 4, 1994, in the object record).
[2] See note 1.
[3] See note 1.
[4] See note 1.
- Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)
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Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd.
Russian Imperial Library
Persian Imperial Library
Mughal Imperial Library
- Description
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The borders (signed by M. Baqir) surrounding the painting are decorated in gold with animals in formalized landscapes.
The borders (signed and dated 1757-58 by M. Hadi) surrounding the six panels of nasta'liq calligraphy are decorated with large floral arabesques in silver and gold on dark blue.
- Label
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Paintings of Mughal kings hunting typically depict their prowess. In contrast, this lyrical hunt scene portrays royal women as elegant observers moving through a verdant landscape. The artist bathes the marshy landscape in washes of rich green color but renders the princesses and the two camouflaged attendants with jewel-like precision. If, however, the attendants' green garb signals their role as hunters, the princesses' diaphanous garments reveal their bodies for the viewer's gaze.
This painting, which is the earliest Mughal representation of women at the hunt, exemplifies the interest in landscape painting that developed during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1627-58).
- Published References
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- Peter N. Stearns. World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity., 6th ed. New York. cover.
- Ebba Koch. Dara-Shikoh Shooting Nilgais: Hunt and Landscape in Mughal Painting. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. p. 41, fig. 28.
- Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court., 2nd ed. Washington and Ahmedabad, India, 2012. cat. 22H, p. 137.
- Collection Area(s)
- South Asian and Himalayan Art
- Web Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- SI Usage Statement
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CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)
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Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
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International Image Interoperability Framework
FS-6561_03