Jamshid Writing on a Rock

Object Details

• Artist

  'Abd al-Samad Shirin Qalam (active late 1530s–ca. 1600)

• Calligrapher

  Faqir Mir Ali

• Court

  Mughal Court

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Label

  In this painting Jamshid, the great Iranian king and hero, is shown meditating on the brevity of life, a scene that may have come from a Bustan of the poet Sa'di, where it is often illustrated. Jamshid was a moral ideal for the rulers of Mughal India. In an inscription in the manuscript in this case, the emperor Akbar (reigned 1556-1605) is referred to as "that king of Jamshid-like glory."

  The painter Abd as-Samad was born in Iran, but came to India with the emperor Humayun in 1555 and served as director of the imperial painting workshops under the emperor of Akbar.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran (July 28 to September 16, 2012)

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

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

  At the Margins (June 4 to November 30, 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)

  Art of the Court of Shah Tahmasp (December 16, 1979 to August 14, 1980)

  The Brush of the Masters: Drawings from India (October 14, 1978 to May 15, 1979)

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

  Special Exhibition Afghanistan (September 3, 1963 to June 5, 1964)

• 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

  1580s

• Name

  Faqir Mir Ali, 'Abd al-Samad Shirin Qalam

• Place

  India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Landscapes, Art, Animals, Reign of Jahangir (1605 - 1627), Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Writing, Falconry, Monkeys, Jamshid

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Language

  Nasta?li-q script

• Object Type

  Paintings