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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1950.134
Title
Portrait of Mulla Do Piyazeh
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
mid 18th century
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Deccan
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/216573

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Dimensions
19 x 13.9 cm (7 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Grace Nichols Strong, Francis H. Burr and Friends of the Fogg Art Museum Funds
Accession Year
1950
Object Number
1950.134
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Against a mint green background, a portly figure, recognizable as the folklore character Mulla Do Piyazeh, is depicted with a white robe with long sleeves and his distinctive, large white, turban. He is mounted on a brown, emaciated horse with a protruding tongue. The horse’s eye rolls upward, suggesting exhaustion. Mulla Do Piyazeh holds the reins in his right hand, while his left hand, masked by the large sleeve, holds a whip. A white and gray dog lies at the front feet of the horse. He was a character from a series of folk tales featuring the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) and his courtier Birbal. These legends originated at the end of Akbar’s reign and were popular through the 19th century. Most scholars believe that he is completely fictional.

Publication History

  • Hasan Javadi, Satire in Persian Literature, Farleigh Dickinson University Press (Rutherford, 1988), Pg. 89
  • Stuart Cary Welch, "A Matter of Empathy: Comical Indian Pictures", Asian Art & Culture, ed. Karen Sagstetter, Oxford University Press (UK) (New York, NY, Fall/Winter 1994), vol. 7, no. 1, Page 95/Figure 14

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu