1904
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A mendicant bowing before a holy man, from the Prince Salim Album is a 1904 unspecified by Basawan, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a holy man standing under a tree with a jackal by his side. He's wearing robes with a light blue tint, and a devotee is bowing at his feet. This painting is interesting because it shows how Indian artists were incorporating Persian styles during this time, which is evident in the use of naturalism and dimensionality. Check out the museum where this painting is held, The Cleveland Museum of Art.
As the Mughal atelier grew into the 1580s, Indian artists become increasingly adept at incorporating Persian styles with a new dimensionality and naturalism that Akbar promoted, possibly based on his appreciation of European prints and paintings. Here, a sincere holy man wears robes tinged lightly with blue. He stands beneath a tree in the wilderness with a loyal jackal by his side. A devotee touches his head to his feet. The artist’s tiny signature is written on the alms bowl. Connoisseurs of Persian art in the Islamic world praised an artist’s virtuoso ability to work on a microscopic scale.
The dog stares hungrily at the mendicant’s alms bowl, with the artist’s signature.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Basāwan, or Basāvan, was an Indian miniature painter in the Mughal style. He was known by his contemporaries as a skilled colorist and keen observer of human nature, and for his use of portraiture in the illustrations…
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