. English: The Origin of Music: Page from a Tutinama Manuscript Attributed to Basawan (Indian, active ca. 1556–1600) Date: 1565–70 Culture: India (Mughal court at Delhi) Medium: Opaque watercolor and ink on paper Dimensions: Image: 3 15/16 x 4 1/16 in. (10 x cm) Overall: 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. ( x 14 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Lent by The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Dean A. Perry, Rights and Reproduction: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Dean A. Perry, This artwork is not on display Share Description The Iranian legend of the
. English: The Origin of Music: Page from a Tutinama Manuscript Attributed to Basawan (Indian, active ca. 1556–1600) Date: 1565–70 Culture: India (Mughal court at Delhi) Medium: Opaque watercolor and ink on paper Dimensions: Image: 3 15/16 x 4 1/16 in. (10 x cm) Overall: 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. ( x 14 cm) Classification: Paintings Credit Line: Lent by The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Dean A. Perry, Rights and Reproduction: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Dean A. Perry, This artwork is not on display Share Description The Iranian legend of the mythical bird the Mausiqar, which provides the seven notes that are said to comprise the origin of music, is the inspiration for this composition. The bird that serves as the musician’s muse almost goes unnoticed, while attention focuses on the vina player seated on a beautiful rug. This work aspires to invoke aesthetic pleasure (rasa), and music is deemed a means to stimulate love: “What enchantment was hidden in last night’s potion! I lost my head but [it was] not a drunken sensation.” The reworking of this painting recently has been attributed by John Seyller to the young Basawan, the Iranian painter recruited to Akbar’s atelier who became Akbar’s personal favorite. Basawan’s participation in this project was first identified by Pramod Chandra in 1976. That the Tutinama was Mughalized during the period the Hamzanama was in production is witnessed by the treatment of such signature motifs as the shield, sword, and bow, as well as the quiver hung on a tree, a device directly repeated in a number of Hamzanama paintings. About the Artist Basawan Active ca. 1556–1600, at the Mughal court; father of Manohar Basawan joined Akbar’s atelier at Delhi as a young Hindu recruit and was involved in every major manuscript production throughout his emperor’s reign. Abu’l Fazl recorded that Basawan surpassed all in composition, drawing of features, distribution of
Size: 1831px × 2729px
Photo credit: © The Picture Art Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: (indian, ., /., 1565–70., active, attributed, basawan, ca, ca., circa
