MUGHAL INDIA, CIRCA 1600

Details

THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAMARRA
MUGHAL INDIA, CIRCA 1600
Gouache on paper, illustrated margins surrounding 8ll. of black nasta'liq on marbled paper, showing a great construction site with many builders engaged in various tasks, composed of three separate but closely related panels pasted around the text block, slight wear and very minor retouching in some of the green areas, modern mount
Folio 12 x 8 7/8in. (30.5 x 22.6cm.)

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Lot Essay

A Mughal depiction of the construction of the great 'Abbasid capital of Samarra.

The note says in the year AH 218 (833-4 AD), [the caliph] Mu'tasim started the construction of Samarra known as Sarmanray. It was completed in one year and [the caliph] took residence there with all his army.

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