A Zebra by Mansur
Jahangir Period
17th century AD.
Jahangir was a naturalist. He was fascinated by the flora and fauna of India. Whenever he would come across a new or strange flower or animal, he would ask Mansur, his favourite painter, to paint it.
The first Zebra was brought to Jahangir's court. It aroused everyone's curiosity. In the Jahangirnama, he says "some people imagined that it had been colored... (but) after minute inquiry into the truth, it became known that the lord of the world was the creator thereof." The mystery was solved by Jahangir himself, when he told the retainer to pluck a few hair and see the color of the hair at the roots. Jahangir had Mansur paint the first Zebra, the first Turkey and the first Giraffe brought to his court. Ustad Mansur was the best wild life painter of the Mughal atelier.
Jahangir emerges as a rare King: an emperor with a scientific temperament.
The first Zebra was brought to Jahangir's court. It aroused everyone's curiosity. In the Jahangirnama, he says "some people imagined that it had been colored... (but) after minute inquiry into the truth, it became known that the lord of the world was the creator thereof." The mystery was solved by Jahangir himself, when he told the retainer to pluck a few hair and see the color of the hair at the roots. Jahangir had Mansur paint the first Zebra, the first Turkey and the first Giraffe brought to his court. Ustad Mansur was the best wild life painter of the Mughal atelier.
Jahangir emerges as a rare King: an emperor with a scientific temperament.
No comments:
Post a Comment