Detail: ndia’s Fascination with the Natural World
Mughal, Rajput and Company School Paintings
March 13 – 20, 2025
Exhibiting at: Les Enluminures Gallery, 23 East 73rd Street, 7th floor Penthouse
Asia Week hours: 10am-6pm (otherwise by appointment)

In 1621 a zebra from eastern Africa was presented to the emperor Jahangir, who had never seen an animal like this and thought his coat had been painted. But ‘after inspection it was clear that that was how God had made it’ (Jahangirnama -Memoirs of Jahangir Emperor of India). And so he had his master artist Mansur paint this zebra. This painting is currently on display in The Great Mughals exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (Nov. 2024 – May 2025).

Our Mughal zebra, which we are proud to present at Asia Week, is of a similar date, but by a different hand. Such paintings are extremely rare and important, because they illustrate Imperial fascination with the wider natural world – animals that were not indigenous to India, like red squirrels, turkeys, ostriches and in our case a zebra.

A late 16th century Mughal portrait of a caparisoned horse with its three grooms, in spectacular condition, has a most unusual background, which evokes a Rothko painting. This miniature was once in the Imperial Mughal library, confirmed by numerous 17th century seals and inscriptions on the verso. The highly influential Mughal courtier, Asaf Khan,‘borrowed’ this painting during his lifetime. Of Persian origin, he became prime minister to Jahangir and later to Shah Jahan, and his daughter, Mumtaz Mahal, was the beloved wife of Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal in her memory.

India’s natural world also enchanted foreigners who spent time in this country. Foremost amongst these was Lady Impey who commissioned master artists, trained in the naturalistic Mughal tradition, to depict the animals in her Calcutta menagerie. In Indian art the Impey series of natural history drawings are considered the finest of their kind. Our notoriously cheerful and cheeky Lorikeet is from Lady Impey’s collection. The Rainbow Lorikeet are native to Australia but are also to be found in India.

Our large, bust-length portrait of a beguiling Mughal Princess is by an unknown 18th century master. She holds a Phalsa (an Indian berry) between her left thumb and forefinger because it was to be consumed with wine, in the tiny blue and white porcelain cup she holds in her right hand – a delicious delicacy of the time.