A Pair of Mynas

Unknown

ca. 1620 · Opaque color on paper · Islamic Art

This striking painting depicts two Myna birds on a vibrant red background. A male, in the background, and a female, in the foreground, gaze to the left side of the painting. The artist has captured subtle gestures that bring these birds to life, including the open beak of the male Myna and the bunched claw of the female. Natural history paintings produced in Mughal India in the seventeenth century were a favorite genre of the emperor Jahangir (r. 1605–27). The emperor’s interest in the natural world led to the creation of many striking paintings documenting the flora and fauna and birdlife of the seventeenth century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1620

Medium

Opaque color on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions, 2020 Benefit, and Dodge Funds; Howard S. and Nancy Marks Gift; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; and funds from various donors, 2022