Artwork Page for Alamshah cleaving asunder the chain of the wheel, from volume 11 of a Hamza-nama (Adventures of Hamza)

Details / Information for Alamshah cleaving asunder the chain of the wheel, from volume 11 of a Hamza-nama (Adventures of Hamza)

Alamshah cleaving asunder the chain of the wheel, from volume 11 of a Hamza-nama (Adventures of Hamza)

c. 1560s–70s

Mughal India, court of Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on cotton and paper
Measurements
Page: 83.7 x 67 cm (32 15/16 x 26 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of George P. Bickford 1976.74
Public Domain
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The title in the bottom margin is a continuation of the text on the previous page.

Description

The hero, Alamshah the Greek, perches on a cliff above a rushing torrent of water. He has just slain the villain who raised the massive bronze plug on the dam in order to wash away the camp of Alamshah’s father, Hamza.

The Hamza-nama recounts the adventures of an uncle of the Prophet Mohammed. It was the first major undertaking of the fledgling painting workshop created by Akbar. Originally in 14 volumes of 100 illustrations each, just a little more than 10 percent of the pages survive.
A book page illustrates water flowing over muted blue, peach, purple, and green rocks toward people with light to medium-light skin tones and camels on the banks. An ox, horse, and person swim in the water. Atop the rocks, right of the waterfall, stands a man with light skin tone, sword raised. Opposite the rocks, another man with light skin tone is upside-down, blood dripping from a horizontal gash on his chest. Above him is a wheel with a chain connecting to a round, dark brown plug.

Alamshah cleaving asunder the chain of the wheel, from volume 11 of a Hamza-nama (Adventures of Hamza)

c. 1560s–70s

Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

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