Among Zoroastrian burial items, there is a camel-shaped zoomorphic OSTADON lying there. It was found…
Indian miniatures in the collection of the Institute of Oriental Studies named after Abu Rayhan Beruni
One more group in the collection of the Institute consists of Indian miniatures.
In the manuscript by Nizami Inventory No. 3481 there is a badly damaged miniature relating to the Baburid school in India of the late 16th – early 17th centuries. The subject is traditional: a royal couple in aiwan. It combines two sources; one is typically Indian (the features and dress of the characters and a mountain landscape in distant perspective), the second is Central Asian (in the composition of the foreground and the appearance of a maid). The participation of Central Asian artisans in the work of Delhi court studios has already been mentioned above. It is exactly cooperation such as this, which led to development of the artistic style reflected in this miniature.
On separate folios there are a number of Indian miniatures of the 16th and 17th centuries. The motifs are traditional in most cases – these are scenes against a background of a pavilion and far landscape, a portrait of standing Shah-i Jahan, illustrations of Indian epics and poetry.
Among the most impressive of these miniatures is a picture of a rushing elephant, the entire body of which is covered with pictures of hairy faces with fierce teeth and snouts; two horned divs are sitting on the animal and the third is running ahead of the driver. The decoration of a horse or elephant body with masks is known both in Indian and Iranian miniatures of the 17th century.
You can learn more about this topic in the book-album “The Collection of the Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental studies, the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan” (part five, “Miniature and Calligraphy”) (Volume XXV) from the series "The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan".
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