Recto: Two Wild Buffalo; Verso: Two Blue Bulls and Two Hog Deer, from a Baburnama

Object Details

• Artist

  Mansur

• Designer

  Kanha

• Court

  Mughal Court

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Label

  The first Mughal emperor, Babur (reigned 1526-30), wrote memoirs that included precise descriptions of the animals and flowers that he encountered after his arrival in India in 1526. He observed that the blue bull, a kind of antelope, may stand as high as a horse, but it is somewhat lighter in build. The male is bluish-gray, and therefore known as nila-gau [blue bull].

  This illumination was placed alongside that text in a copy of the Baburnama made for the private use of Babur's grandson, the emperor Akbar (reigned 1556-1605). Babur's interest in minute details of the natural world was continued by many of his successors and is reflected in both the subjects and styles of the works that they commissioned.

  Like many Mughal paintings this was a collaborative effort. Kanha created the composition; Mansur painted it.

• Provenance

  Ca. 1589-?

  Akbar (1542-1605; reign 1556-1605), by commission [1]

  ?-?

  Ownership information unknown

  ?-1952

  H. Kevorkian, New York NY, method of acquisition unknown [2]

  1952-1954

  Kevorkian Foundation (established 1951), New York, NY, transferred from H. Kevorkian [3]

  From 1954

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from the Kevorkian Foundation through Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962) [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See Milo Beach, “The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court,” (Washington, DC and Ahmedabad, India: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Mapin International Inc., 2012), pp. 61-66.

  [2] See object list titled “Works of Art at Freer Gallery of Art Washington, DC,” undated (ca. December 30, 1952), copy in object file. The object list is typed on “The Kevorkian Foundation” letterhead. The object was transferred from the Kevorkian Foundation, New York, NY, to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration on December 30, 1952.

  Research indicates that the Kevorkian Foundation’s objects were transferred from Hagop Kevorkian’s gallery’s stock and later from his personal collection.

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962) was a dealer and collector of Islamic Art with eponymous galleries in New York and Paris.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] See object file for copy of the Kevorkian Foundation invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated July 1, 1954, and marked approved on February 25, 1953. Object is listed as dealer stock number 15f and is described as “Ibex in forest, by Mansur and Naha [Kanha] (double face).”

  Research updated January 10, 2024

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)

  The Natural World in Indian Painting (September 4, 1996 to May 17, 1997)

  South and South East Asian Art (May 9, 1993 to February 7, 2000)

  The Arts of South Asia (May 13, 1985 to December 2, 1985)

  The Imperial Image: Painting for the Mughal Court (September 25, 1981 to 30 March 1982)

  Indian Art (January 1, 1963 to January 28, 1981)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Art, Gallery 8 (July 15, 1958 to January 1, 1963)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962)

  Kevorkian Foundation (established 1951)

• Origin

  India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1590s, 1580s

• Name

  Kevorkian, Hagop, Kevorkian Foundation

• Place

  India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Landscapes, Art, Animals, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Reign of Akbar (1556 - 1605), Bulls, Antelope, Buffaloes, Water buffalo

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Language

  Nasta?li-q script

• Object Type

  Paintings