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

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

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

c. 1595

India, Mughal school, 16th century

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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.a
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

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

Description

The 1,000th anniversary of Islam, according to the Hijri calendar followed by the Mughals and all Muslims, occurred during Akbar’s reign in 1592. He commemorated this milestone in many ways, including the commissioning of a new history of the Islamic world since the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632. The episode discussed on this page took place during the 800s, when hailstorms beset Egypt and an earthquake hit Syria. The ruling 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.
A vertically oriented gum tempera and ink painting depicts people with light skin tones in scenes interspersed with black script in rectangular boxes. At the top, figures in red, blue, and yellow robes observe white hail falling from a dark sky. In the center, laborers in white and blue clothing construct brick buildings. The bottom illustrates an earthquake with people trapped beneath rubble and wooden beams. A figure in red pants lies face down.

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

c. 1595

India, Mughal school, 16th century

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