"Khwaja Umar Saved from Pursuers," Folio from the Hamzanama (The Adventures of Hamza)
ca. 1565–70
Medium
Opaque color and gold on cotton cloth
Dimensions
Image: H. 25 13/16 in. (65.5 cm) W. 19 5/8 in. (49.8 cm) Frame: H. 24 in. (61 cm) W. 30 1/2 in. (77.5 cm) D. 1 in. (2.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions, Harris Brisbane Dick, and 2020 Benefit Funds; Howard S. and Nancy Marks, Lila Acheson Wallace, and Friends of Islamic Art Gifts; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; and funds from various donors, 2022
Accession Number
2022.171
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Islamic Art galleries, where we encounter the vibrant world of Mughal painting. "Khwaja Umar Saved from Pursuers" is a dynamic folio from monumental *Hamzanama* (*The Adventures of Hamza an epic tale of heroism and adventure centered on Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad. Painted by the masterful Kesu Das around 1565–70 during Emperor Akbar's reign, this captures a thrilling moment of divine intervention, with Khwaja Umar dramatically rescued amid chaos. As one of Akbar's leading artists in the imperial atelier, Kesu Das infused the composition with bold energy, blending P...