Attributed to Manohar (active 1582–ca. 1624) Search this
Medium:
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Dimensions:
H x W (painting): 26.3 × 14.2 cm (10 3/8 × 5 9/16 in)
Type:
Painting
Origin:
India
Date:
ca. 1596-1600
Period:
Mughal dynasty, Reign of Akbar
Court:
Mughal Court
School/Tradition:
Mughal school
Label:
This page from the Akbarnama (History of Akbar) written by Akbar's trusted adviser Abul Fazl, illustrates the emperor seated in regal isolation at the center of the painting, listening to a petition being presented to him by a noble. The European depicted near the bottom left demonstrates the cosmopolitan mix of people at court as well as Akbar's interest in the portrayal of different types of people
The artist Manohar was specially interested in depicting the majesty of the imperial Mughal court; in stressing surface designs rather than spatial values, he created brilliantly patterned compositions.
Provenance:
ca. 1596-1600-?
Akbar (1542-1605; reign 1556-1605), by commission possibly from the artist, Manohar (active 1582-ca. 1624) [1]
?-at least 1958
Ownership information unknown
At least 1958-1960
H. Kevorkian, New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [2]
From 1960
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from H. Kevorkian [3]
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), cat. 10G, p. 76.
[2] See untitled 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.
Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962) was a dealer and collector of Islamic Art with eponymous galleries in New York and Paris.
[3] See object file for copy of H. Kevorkian invoice to Freer Gallery of Art, dated October 20, 1960, and marked approved on June 4, 1959. Object is described as, “Akbar in audience.” This invoice was issued by Hagop Kevorkian from Lausanne, Switzerland, where he was residing temporarily.
Research updated January 8, 2024
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran (July 28 to September 16, 2012)
Masterworks of Indian Painting (December 13, 1997 to June 13, 1998)
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)
