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Lot Essay
This is unusual miniature is from the copy of the Razmnama prepared in 1616-17 for the great bibliophile ‘Abd al-Rahim, Khan-e Khanan, commander-in-chief of the Mughal armies to which he was appointed in 1584. This Razmnama was one of the three major illustrated copies of this period, the others being a dispersed copy from 1598 and one from 1605. In many ways the 1616-17 manuscript surpassed the earlier two: it was larger and its miniatures demonstrate a move away from mere imitation of the imperial Akbar style, incorporating new elements such as a brilliance of colour and a boldness of execution that must derive from Hindu painting.
The Razmnama ('Book of Wars') was inspired by the imperial manuscript of a Persian translation of the Mahabharata, the great Hindu epic. Several artists were involved in this manuscript, and although there are no great disjunctures in style, individual hands can be identified. This must be the work of Fazl, an artist responsible for a great many of the miniatures. The thickset anatomy of the giant, with his broad shoulders, thick thighs and jutting jaw; the narrowed eyes, flaring moustache and slight curl to the lip; the impressionistic rendering of flowers and rocks against a bare ground and the very bold use of colour are all unmistakable signs of Fazl’s work. For further reading see J. Seyller, Workshop and Patron in Mughal India, Zurich 1999, pp. 252-5.
The Razmnama ('Book of Wars') was inspired by the imperial manuscript of a Persian translation of the Mahabharata, the great Hindu epic. Several artists were involved in this manuscript, and although there are no great disjunctures in style, individual hands can be identified. This must be the work of Fazl, an artist responsible for a great many of the miniatures. The thickset anatomy of the giant, with his broad shoulders, thick thighs and jutting jaw; the narrowed eyes, flaring moustache and slight curl to the lip; the impressionistic rendering of flowers and rocks against a bare ground and the very bold use of colour are all unmistakable signs of Fazl’s work. For further reading see J. Seyller, Workshop and Patron in Mughal India, Zurich 1999, pp. 252-5.