Artwork Page for An Ambassador before Humayun

Details / Information for An Ambassador before Humayun

An Ambassador before Humayun

c. 1610

attributed to Miskin

(Indian, active 1570s–c. 1604)
Culture
Mughal India
Medium
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Measurements
Painting: 20.9 x 11.7 cm (8 1/4 x 4 5/8 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 2013.320
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Humayun wore a special type of turban, his Taj-i Izzat (Crown of Power and Glory).

Description

Humayun, the second Mughal emperor of India, son of Babur and father of Akbar, is enthroned in an outdoor royal encampment. The scene recalls Humayun’s 15 years of exile between 1540 and 1555, many of which he spent traveling through Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, after an Afghan rebel ousted him from India.
A vertically oriented gum tempera painting with gold detailing depicts two scenes. In the upper, a light-skinned ruler sits on an octagonal throne beneath a green canopy, facing an ambassador bowing to our right. Attendants stand on our left. In the lower, rocky foreground, two men meet beside a brown horse. Persian script adorns the top. Gold detailing accents the figures and throne, set within a landscape of muted greens and oranges.

An Ambassador before Humayun

c. 1610

Miskin

(Indian, active 1570s–c. 1604)
Mughal India

See Also

  • Collection
    Indian
  • Department
    Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Type of artwork
    Painting
  • Medium
    Tempera
  • 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

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