Artwork
Mahliqa, Daughter of the Emperor of China, Pointing at the Bird-Man Khwaja Mubarak: A Leaf from a Poetical Romance Relating to Shah Alam I (verso); Stenciled Scenes of Lion and Gazelle (verso)
Mahliqa, Daughter of the Emperor of China, Pointing at the Bird-Man Khwaja Mubarak: A Leaf from a Poetical Romance Relating to Shah Alam I (verso); Stenciled Scenes of Lion and Gazelle (verso) is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Unknown. It dates from 1710 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 2013.336
- 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
About this work
Overview
This painting is a leaf from a poetical romance associated with Shah Alam I, featuring a scene with a Chinese princess and a bird-man in a formal garden.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Mahliqa, a Chinese princess, and her attendants pointing at a winged figure, Khwaja Mubarak, perched in a tree. The scene is set in a walled garden with a canal and a fortified city in the distance. The identities and story behind the characters are not fully understood.
Technique & Style
The artist has blended cultural influences, dressing the Chinese princess in Mughal attire with an unusual headdress, while her handmaidens appear Indian. The mix of styles suggests a narrative that combines different cultural traditions.
Context
The painting is associated with Mughal India, reflecting the cultural exchange and artistic influences of the period.
Artist & collection
The goldsmith and the carpenter inform the king of a dream in which the golden images plan to desert the city for lack of worshippers, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Third Night
Maharaja of Kotah Listening to Music and Watching Dancers
Radha Awaiting Reconciliation with Krishna, from a Gita Govinda of Jayadeva
The princess discovers the dead bodies, with heads severed, of her husband and his Brahman friend, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fourth Night
Krishna asks for sweets, from a Sursagar of Surdas (Indian, c. 1480–1580)
Worship of Shiva and Devi
Lovers on a Terrace: Ramakali Ragini of Hindol, from a Bundi Ragamala
Harem night-bathing scene, from the Late Shah Jahan Album (recto)
Vasant Ragini
Augury of the crow (Vasakasajja Nayika)