"Great Hornbill", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album
recto: ca. 1540; verso: ca. 1615–20
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm) W. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Rogers Fund and The Kevorkian Foundation Gift, 1955
Accession Number
55.121.10.14
Tags
Art Historical Context
Discover the exquisite "Great Hornbill," a double-sided folio from the Shah J Album, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of's Islamic Art collection. The recto features elegant calligraphy by Mir 'Aliavi, a master from Herat, dated around 1540, showcasing the refined nasta'liq script that bridged Persian and Mughal traditions. On the verso, 1615–20, Ustad Mansur—one of Emperor Jahangir's favored court painters—depicts a majestic Great Hornbill with astonishing realism. Rendered in ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper (15¼ × 10½ in.), this work exemplifies Mughal miniature painting's precisi...