Susanna and the Elders, folio from the Gulshan Album (Rose Garden album)

Mounted in superb Jahangiri borders decorated in gold, this folio features a European miniature oil on paper, the subject an episode from the biblical story of Susanna at her bath surprised by the Elders.

Album page with European miniature painting in oils on paper, inner border of floral arabesques in gold within gold and colored rules, outer margins of pink-tinted paper finely decorated in gold with landscapes featuring rocks, trees and animals, with pairs of birds finished in colors, slight defects and tears repaired at edge of outer margin, the reverse blank, reinforced with paper from a manuscript of Persian poetry.

Historical period(s)
Mughal dynasty, Reign of Jahangir, ca. 1595
Movement
Mughal Court
School
Mughal School
Medium
Oil on paper (image); opaque watercolor and gold on paper (borders)
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 42.3 x 26.4 cm (16 5/8 x 10 3/8 in)
Geography
India
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1996.9
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album, Painting
Type

Album leaf with painting

Keywords
bathing, flower, India, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), poems, Reign of Jahangir (1605 - 1627), Susanna
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Mounted in superb Jahangiri borders decorated in gold, this folio features a European miniature oil on paper, the subject an episode from the biblical story of Susanna at her bath surprised by the Elders.

Album page with European miniature painting in oils on paper, inner border of floral arabesques in gold within gold and colored rules, outer margins of pink-tinted paper finely decorated in gold with landscapes featuring rocks, trees and animals, with pairs of birds finished in colors, slight defects and tears repaired at edge of outer margin, the reverse blank, reinforced with paper from a manuscript of Persian poetry.

Inscription(s)

1. (Vidya Dehejia, 18 April 1996) This folio carries the label of A. Khan Rahimi on its reverse, a Parisian art dealer of the 1920's.

Label

This folio is a striking demonstration of Mughal artistic creativity and experimentation. The oil on paper is in a style closely related to paintings from Portugal and is one of  the only two known oils from Mughal India.

Published References
  • Sotheby's (London). Oriental Manuscripts and MIniatures. London, April 24, 1996. cat. 73.
  • Gauvin Bailey. The Jesuits and the Grand Mogul: Renaissance Art at the Imperial Court of India, 1580-1630. vol. 2 Washington, 1998. p. 29, fig. 21.
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court., 2nd ed. Washington and Ahmedabad, India, 2012. cat. 20G, p. 112, fig. 39.
  • Thomas Lawton, Thomas W. Lentz. Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. pp. 178-179.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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