"Study of a Nilgai (Blue Bull)", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album

Mansur|Mir 'Ali Haravi

verso: ca. 1620; recto ca. 1540 · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Islamic Art

The nilgai, though known as a blue bull, is a type of antelope found in central and northern India and eastern Pakistan. This study was painted by Mansur, probably after observing the animal in Jahangir’s (r. 1605–27) zoological garden. While great detail is lavished on the depiction of the animal, down to the distinctive swirl of hair where his neck meets his body, the background makes no reference to the nilgai’s natural habitat. As in portraits of people, a neutral or harmonious setting prevailed in Mughal animal paintings.

Artist

Mansur|Mir 'Ali Haravi

Date

verso: ca. 1620; recto ca. 1540

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, Rogers Fund and The Kevorkian Foundation Gift, 1955