Abu_al-Hasan_(Mughal_painter)

Abu'l-Hasan (artist)

Abu'l-Hasan (artist)

Mughal miniature painter


Abu'l-Hasan (or Abu al-Hasan; 1589 – c. 1630), from Delhi, India, was a Mughal painter of miniatures during the reign of Jahangir.

Portrait of Abu al-Hasan by Daulat from the Gulshan Album (c. 1610)

Biography

Abu al-Hasan was the son of Aqa Reza Heravi of Herat in Safavid Iran, a city with an artistic tradition. Aqa Reza was established as an artist and took up employment with Jahangir (r. 1605 –1627) before the latter's accession to the throne of the Mughal empire.[1] When Abu al-Hasan began producing art, the emperor, Jahangir, appreciated the skills of the boy.[2] In 1599, Abu al-Hasan moved with Jahangir to his newly founded court in Allahabad.[3]

The emperor considered Abu al-Hasan to be particularly special to him and under his care.[1] This is because although Abu al-Hasan's artwork was similar in many ways to his father's with Dutch and English influence, it was considered to be of a higher quality similar to that of older masters in the field.[1][2] Jahangir said of Abu al-Hasan that he had no equal and for the work done on the frontispiece for his memoires, the emperor bestowed the title Nadir-uz-Saman ("Wonder of the Age") on Abu al-Hasan in 1618.[4]

Abu al-Hasan's main task was the documentation of events at the imperial court, which resulted in many portraits being completed. Portraits were the hallmark of Jahangir's rule.[5] Not many of Abu al-Hasan's paintings survived, but those that identify him as the artist show that he also worked on a range of subjects, including some everyday scenes[6] and political paintings that showed the emperor and Mughal empire in a positive and powerful light.[7] In addition to original works of art, Abu al-Hasan also retouched other artists' paintings (one such example is below: Dancing Dervishes)[1]

Abu al-Hasan's career aligned with developments in the style of Mughal paintings.[1] However, when Jahangir's reign came to an end, and Shah Jahan began his rule, Abu al-Hasan's career became less active until 1628 from which point on, there is no evidence of him producing art.[4]

Works

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References

  1. Welch, Stuart Cary; Schimmel, Annemarie; Swietochowski, Marie L.; Thackston, Wheeler M. (1987). The Emperors' album: images of Mughal India. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. OCLC 893699157. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  2. Beach, Milo Cleveland (24 September 1992). Mughal and Rajput Painting. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/chol9780521400275. ISBN 978-0-521-40027-5. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  3. "1600–1660: Mughal painting and the rise of local workshops", Mughal and Rajput Painting, The New Cambridge History of India, Cambridge University Press, pp. 68–156, 24 September 1992, doi:10.1017/chol9780521400275.006, ISBN 978-0-521-40027-5, archived from the original on 15 March 2024, retrieved 13 May 2021
  4. "Study of Saint John the Evangelist, After Albrecht Dürer". www.metmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  5. "1600–1660: Mughal painting and the rise of local workshops", Mughal and Rajput Painting, The New Cambridge History of India, Cambridge University Press, pp. 68–156, 24 September 1992, doi:10.1017/chol9780521400275.006, ISBN 978-0-521-40027-5, archived from the original on 15 March 2024, retrieved 13 May 2021
  6. Potter, Polyxeni (September 2009). "Never Has There Been a Shade1". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 15 (9): 1541–1542. doi:10.3201/eid1509.000000. ISSN 1080-6040. PMC 2819890.
  7. Ramaswamy, Sumathi (October 2007). "Conceit of the Globe in Mughal Visual Practice". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 49 (4): 751–782. doi:10.1017/s0010417507000758. ISSN 0010-4175. S2CID 144619248. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  8. ""Spotted Forktail", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album". www.metmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  9. "Allegorical representation of Emperor Jahangir and Shah Abbas of Persia from the St. Petersburg Album". Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  10. Keating, Jessica (17 August 2015). "Metamorphosis at the Mughal Court". Art History. 38 (4): 732–747. doi:10.1111/1467-8365.12178. ISSN 0141-6790. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  11. "Jahangir Entertains Shah Abbas from the St. Petersburg Album". Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.

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