Persian Miniature Painting: The Master Spy Escapes
Persian Miniature Painting: The Master Spy Escapes c. 1562 – 1577
The Master Spy Escapes c. 1562 – 1577
The Master Spy Escapes c. 1562 – 1577 1.
This is a sheet from the Hamzanama of Padishah Akbar. Akbar as a young man memorized large portions of this story and preformed them. Possibly dyslexic Akbar was unable to read but he had a keen mind and a vast intellect.
His father Humayan raised an army with the help of Shah Tahmasp and launched a civil war that lasted 8 years. He only gained the kingdom of Kabul in 1553 and was only putting the kingdom back into an empire when he died. Akbar was 14 when he became king and this piece dates to the very early part of his reign. Even though the Mughal school of art was still new this is very much a Mughal painting and very different from Persian art of the same period.
Please note the unusual hat on the man to the right. It reminds me of the flat top hats like the ones the Tadjiks wear in Afghanistan.
The Hamzanama was begun in 1562 (or 1567) and took about 15 years to complete. Rogers suggests that the large format on cotton was to allow the pictures to be held up while the story was read.