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Lot Essay
On his way back from Badakhshan, a letter from the amirs Kay Khusrau and Muhammad Bayan Salduz asking for an alliance with Timur was intercepted by their enemy, the Qaraunas Amir Husayn. The latter managed to craftily turn the situation to his advantage by being present with Timur by the river Oxus when the amirs were prepared to ambush him. Frightened by the presence of Timur, the amirs and their army fled (For a translation of this episode, see Cherefeddin Ali (Sharaf al-Din ‘Ali Yazdi), The History of Timur Bec, 2 vols., London 1723, vol.1, pp.116-117).
Bhagwan was a well-established artist in the imperial atelier. As with a number of artists of his generation, his first recorded contribution is in the Darabnama of around 1580 (British Library, London, Or.4615) to which he contributed seven folios. Two years later he was a designer/painter on the Jaipur Razmnama (Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II City Palace Museum, Jaipur, no inv. no.) as well as working up designs in the same volume by both Daswanth and Lal. He continued working actively through that decade and the next, participating in the 1591 Baburnama (British Library, London, BL Or.3714) when he is clearly at the height of his powers, the Baharistan (Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS. Elliott 254) of Jami, and the 1596 Jami al-Tawarikh (Golestan Palace Library, 2254-0347, partly dispersed). It is also indicative that this is the one instance that he is described as kalan (the older) as if a younger artist of the same name had arrived, although there is no record of a Bhagwan Khurd. In 1598-99 he worked on the sub-imperial Razmnama (Free Library, Philadelphia, M33 and British Library, London, Or.12076), an indication that his star was waning, and he does not appear in any 17th century projects.
Bhagwan was a well-established artist in the imperial atelier. As with a number of artists of his generation, his first recorded contribution is in the Darabnama of around 1580 (British Library, London, Or.4615) to which he contributed seven folios. Two years later he was a designer/painter on the Jaipur Razmnama (Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II City Palace Museum, Jaipur, no inv. no.) as well as working up designs in the same volume by both Daswanth and Lal. He continued working actively through that decade and the next, participating in the 1591 Baburnama (British Library, London, BL Or.3714) when he is clearly at the height of his powers, the Baharistan (Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS. Elliott 254) of Jami, and the 1596 Jami al-Tawarikh (Golestan Palace Library, 2254-0347, partly dispersed). It is also indicative that this is the one instance that he is described as kalan (the older) as if a younger artist of the same name had arrived, although there is no record of a Bhagwan Khurd. In 1598-99 he worked on the sub-imperial Razmnama (Free Library, Philadelphia, M33 and British Library, London, Or.12076), an indication that his star was waning, and he does not appear in any 17th century projects.