Mansur Naqqash
Pigeons around a dovecote

Pigeons around a dovecote

Public Domain

ArtistMughal, active c. 1589–1626
CultureIndian
Titles
  • Pigeons around a dovecote
Datec. 1650–1660
MediumInk, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
DimensionsImage (.A): 7 3/8 × 4 7/16 in. (18.7 × 11.3 cm)
 Sheet: 17 5/8 × 11 3/4 in. (44.8 × 29.8 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Brown Foundation Accessions Endowment
Object number2014.230.A
Exposé

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Department
Art of the Islamic Worlds
Object Type
DescriptionThe Mughal emperors were very interested in the study of birds and animals. Breeding fancy pigeons was considered an activity of great refinement. Pairs of birds are depicted here in various poses in the tradition of Mansur, the great Mughal painter of natural history who worked for Emperors Jahangir (r.1605–27) and Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658). There is a Persian inscription on the golden dovecote or pigeon house (kabutar khana), “amal-i Mansur naqqash,” referencing the work of the illuminator Mansur. Whether or not this is actually in the hand of Mansur, an attribution that has not been corroborated by scholars, this work remains an extraordinary example of Mughal album painting.
Provenance[Colnaghi, P&D & Co., and Lloyd Collection, London, 1979]; [Francesca Galloway, London]; purchased by MFAH, 2014.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Recto, inscribed in Persian on the dovecote: "amal-i' Mansur naqqash" ("the work of the illuminator Mansur")
Verso: page of 10 lines of nasta'liq calligraphy from a Mughal manuscript

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