Page of disasters, from the Tarikh-i Alfi (History of the Thousand [Years])

c. 1595

India, Mughal, 16th century, made for Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)

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Medium

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Measurements

Overall: 41 x 22.6 cm (16 1/8 x 8 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Dudley P. Allen Fund 1932.36

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Devastation after an earthquake includes a horse trapped under a fallen pavilion.

Description

The Tarikh-i Alfi, or “Thousand Year History,” was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Akbar (reigned 1565–1605) in 1582. The work is a historical narrative that aimed to document the first millennium of Islamic history, from the death of Prophet Muhammad to Akbar's reign. At the top of the painting is a rare hailstorm that occurred during the time of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil (reigned 822–61) in Sawaid, Egypt; the middle register shows the building of a palace at Damascus under the same caliph; and the bottom section depicts the destruction of Antioch by an earthquake in the 850. The caliph at the time was strongly prejudiced against Muslims who belonged to the Shi‘ite branch of Islam. Akbar seemed to be asking his artists to emphasize the natural disasters that took place, suggesting that they occurred as a result of the ruler’s intolerance.