Item Info

Media Type: Manuscripts
Source: Rare Book Department
Notes:

Battle scenes were a standard component of Mughal illustrated manuscripts. Thus the artist or artists responsible for this painting needed to alter only a few details of a well-known formula to make it suitable for an ancient Sanskrit epic—the battle commanders are wearing the specifically Hindu dhoti (unstitched lower garment) and tilaka (sectarian forehead marking). The tiny city visible on the horizon is an artistic device used to convey a sense of recession and is most likely derived from the similar motif found on the many European maps and religious prints circulating in the Mughal court. To the left of the city are dramatic geological formations typically associated with Persian painting.

Region/County: Region/County:Northern India, Mughal court

Creation Year (Single Year or Range Begin): 1599
Call Number: Lewis M 26