Sa'id and Khosh Khiram arrive at a castle and see two girls wrestling on the roof, from the Hamzanama

Object Details

• Patron

  Akbar (reigned 1556-1605)

• Artist

  Attributed to Shravana

  Attributed to Mithra

• Court

  Mughal Court

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Label

  The Persian Hamzanama, or Story of Hamza, consists of a series of wild and fantastic adventures centered upon the heroic Hamza. The Hamzanama was a favorite of the young Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1542-1605) who often had the stories read aloud to him. Painters at Akbar's court produced a monumental Hamzanama, which was reputed to have 1400 paintings. Two or more artists worked together on every painting.

  The scintillating palace, a harmonious combination of pinkish planes, rhythmic dark openings and delicated floral bands, is attributed to Shravana, an artist known for dazzling architecture and precise patterns. In this luscious setting, the figures seem an afterthought; indeed this is literally true for there is visual evidence that at least part of the body of Said (the orange-clad male on the roof) was painted over the carpet border. The narrative, from volume 11 of the Hamzanama, tells of two girls who wrestle under the spell of a sorceress. The tussling girls are attributed to Mithra, who favors doll-like faces with doleful eyes.

  For a related image from the Hamzanama see F1949.18.

• Provenance

  ca. 1570

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

  ca. 1570-1739

  Mughal Library, Delhi, India, under Muhammad Shah (1702-1748; reign 1719-1748) [2]

  1739-?

  Imperial Library, Tehran, under Nadir Shah (1688-1747; reign 1736-1747) and subsequent rulers of Iran, Nadir Shah had paintings and manuscripts taken from the Mughal library during his invasion of Delhi, India [3]

  ?-at least 1958

  Ownership information unknown

  At least 1958-1960

  H. Kevorkian, New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [4]

  From 1960

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from H. Kevorkian [5]

  Notes:

  [1] John Seyller, “The Adventures of Hamza: Painting and Storytelling in Mughal India” [exhibition catalogue], (Washington, DC, and London: Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, and Azimuth, 2002), cat. 67, p. 206 (F1960.14); cat. 70, p. 217 (F1960.15). During the invasion of Delhi, India in 1739, Nadir Shah had luxury goods, including paintings and manuscripts, taken from the Mughal library during the reign of Muhammad Shah.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See note 1.

  [4] See incoming receipt, dated June 23, 1958, copy in object file. The object was transferred from H. Kevorkian, New York, NY, to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration on June 23, 1958. F1960.14 and F1960.15 are described as, “2 large Hamzanahmah paintings.”

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

  [5] See object file for copy of H. Kevorkian invoice, to Freer Gallery of Art, dated August 5, 1960, and marked approved on June 4, 1959. F1960.14 and F1960.15 are described as, “2 Indian Paintings, Mughal (Hamzanahmah), c. 1575.” This invoice was issued by Hagop Kevorkian from the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, where he was residing temporarily.

  Research updated December 5, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Body Image (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art (February 24 to May 13, 2007)

  The Adventures of Hamza (June 26 to September 29, 2002)

  Female Imagery in Indian Painting (February 9 to August 5, 1996)

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

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

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Akbar (reigned 1556-1605)

  Muhammad Shah (1702-1748; reign 1719-1748)

  Mughal Library

  Nadir Shah (1688-1747; reign 1736-1747)

  Imperial Library (Tehran)

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962)

• Origin

  India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1570s, 1550s

• Name

  Shah, Nadir, Imperial Library (Tehran), Kevorkian, Hagop, Muhammad Shah, Mughal Library, Akbar

• Place

  India

• Topic

  Hamzanama, South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Reign of Akbar (1556 - 1605), Castles

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings