ManuscriptsIndian16th century

Bird Trappers (painting, verso; text, recto), folio from a manuscript of the Baburnama (Memoirs of Emperor Babur)

c. 1590

Description

The verso of the folio depicts a group of bird trappers engaged in various methods of capturing their prey. A figure, wearing saffron turban, brown shirt, and orange trousers stands in front of tree trying to capture birds from it. The tree is largely obscured by a rectangular cartouche containing a Persian inscription in black and nasta‘liq script and within a gold border. Behind a tree, hiding behind a camouflage screen of branches and leaves, is another figure, wearing a white turban and green robe (jama). He stalks a large group of flying birds and ducks. Below these figures are two men that are behind a camouflage screen of branches and stalking ducks near a serpentine creek and the birds perched in a nearby tree. One of the trappers holds a bird in his left hand. At the bottom of the page is a bird trapper wearing a white turban and green robe. He is also behind a camouflage screen of branches and leaves. He observes a group of birds caught in a netted trap. Directly above him is a rectangular cartouche containing a Persian inscription in black and nasta‘liq script and within a gold border. At the bottom left corner is a small square containing a Persian inscription in black and nasta‘liq script. The recto of the folio contains fourteen lines of Persian prose executed in black ink and nasta‘liq script that is contained within gold borders. Mughal Style.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; Mughal Style

Culture

Indian

Period

Mughal period

Century

16th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art