Artwork Page for The Magi Follow the Star (folio 34 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier

Details / Information for The Magi Follow the Star (folio 34 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier

The Magi Follow the Star (folio 34 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier

1602–4

attributed to Payag

(Indian)
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Culture
Mughal India, Allahabad, made for Prince Salim (1569–1627)
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Measurements
Sheet: 26.2 x 15.7 cm (10 5/16 x 6 3/16 in.); Image: 20.6 x 10.9 cm (8 1/8 x 4 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2005.145.34.a
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

At the breakaway court of Prince Salim in Allahabad, high-quality materials were not as plentiful as in the imperial capital. The paper is brittle and has browned excessively, and the paint films are relatively thin; here the text from the verso shows through the lightly colored background.

Description

One of the three kings points excitedly at the star at the upper left edge of the page, while another bites the finger of astonishment; the third holds his fist over his heart. They are all dressed like Portuguese merchants, but they ride camels associated with their homeland in Arabia, as specified in the text.

The Westerners whom Mughals would have seen, besides priests, were mainly merchants from the Portuguese port of Goa on India’s western coast. They regularly visited Akbar to negotiate trade agreements, so they served as the primary visual model for all nonclerical Europeans. The artists who produced this manuscript worked for Akbar before joining Prince Salim at his rebel court in Allahabad.

The Magi Follow the Star (folio 34 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier

1602–4

Payag

(Indian)
Mughal India, Allahabad, made for Prince Salim (1569–1627)

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