Hulagu Khan giving a feast and dispensing favor upon the amirs and princes, from a Chingiz-nama (Book of Chingiz Khan) of the Jami al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles)

c. 1596–1600

Padarath

(Indian, active late 1500s)

Culture

Mughal India

Medium

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Measurements

Page: 38.4 x 25.2 cm (15 1/8 x 9 15/16 in.); Painting: 33.3 x 21.1 cm (13 1/8 x 8 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.304

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Mongol rulers were identified by the five-feathered crown.

Description

Seated on a lapis-blue floral carpet is Chingiz (Genghis) Khan’s grandson, who ruled Iran from 1256 to 1265. This painting is from an illustrated copy of the history of Chingiz Khan and his family that the Mughal emperor Akbar commissioned toward the end of the latter’s life. Mughal is the Persian word for Mongol, and Akbar traced direct genealogical descent from Chingiz Khan on his mother’s side.

The nomadic Mongols created court settings using portable platforms and elegant carpets and tents. Multilevel canopies of imperial crimson mark the position of the khan, which means “ruler” in Mongolian.