Antelope and deer hunt
Medium
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
37 × 25.3 cm · image: 20 × 11.8 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Accession Number
1939.66
Tags
male
About this artwork
The Mughals used trained cheetahs, such as this one wearing a red collar, to capture prey during hunting expeditions in the wilderness. The metaphor of the hunt was also a potent image in Persian literature, in which the protagonist finally achieves a desired goal. The central image of the cheetah catching the black buck—a frequently repeated visual trope—resonates with the desire of Prince Salim (who was passionate about hunting) to capture the throne of the Mughal Empire from Akbar, his father...