San Diego Museum of Art - A Himalayan Cheer Pheasant

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A Himalayan Cheer Pheasant

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Bookmark: https://collection.sdmart.org/objects-1/info/5248

A Himalayan Cheer Pheasant

Creation date: ca. 1620 (border ca. 1635)

Creation place: India

Other Information

Type: Watercolor Painting

Medium and Support: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Credit Line: Edwin Binney 3rd Collection

Accession Number: 1990.342

State/Province: Uttar Pradesh

Dimensions: 8 1/8 in. x 5 5/16 in. (20.64 cm x 13.49 cm)

Provenance

P & D Colnaghi & Co Ltd, London, England ( - September 23, 1976)

Edmond de Rothschild, ( - )

Edwin Binney 3rd, San Diego, California (September 23, 1976 - August 27, 1990)

San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California (August 27, 1990 - )

Label Copy

Myths, Monsters and Maharajas (Ellen Smart, 1992)

Jahangir, like his great grandfather Babur, was passionately interested in the natural world.
When captivated by an unusual specimen, whether animal, vegetable or human, he ordered a likeness taken in order to preserve it. Mansur was the artist usually called upon to make such paintings. His natural history studies are extraordinarily clear and concise. Decorated with fanciful, gilded flowers, the album page on which this painting is mounted is of the period of Shah Jahan.

Power & Desire, 04/00
The Mughals were keen hunters and curious about the world around them. Their artists made many studies of
the animals and plants that interested their patrons.
The buck and the flowering oleander of the painting to the left, are commonplace species, and thus were well-known to the artist. The pheasant and the orchid, of the painting to the right, were both exotic, and allowed the artist to flaunt his skill in painting unfamiliar things.
The gentle buck and the self-satisfied bird both convey
distinct personalities; rather than animal studies, these can be considered portraits.

October 2005
Domains of Wonder
Exotic flora and fauna were favorite subjects of the emperor Jahangir, and he commissioned many exquisite plant and animal paintings that became incorporated into royal albums. In his memoirs, Jahangir made detailed notes about this pheasant, which was brought to him as a gift, remarking especially on the superior flavor of its meat.

Sonya Quintanilla (2014) Quebec
A Himalayan Cheer Pheasant
From the Shah Jahan Album
India, ca. 1620
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. 20.64 x 13.49 cm
Edwin Binney 3rd Collection, 1990.342

Jahangir, like his great-grandfather Babur, was passionately interested in the natural world.
When captivated by an unusual specimen, whether animal, vegetable, or human, he ordered a likeness taken in order to preserve it. He commissioned many exquisite plant and animal paintings that became incorporated into royal albums. Decorated with fanciful, gilded flowers, the album page on which this painting was later mounted is of the period of Shah Jahan.

In his memoirs, Jahangir made detailed notes about this pheasant, which was brought to him as a gift, remarking especially on the superior flavor of its meat.
Last Updated: 9/5/2017

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Persian and Mughal Art P & D Colnaghi & Co Ltd , 4/7/1976 - 5/20/1976

The Grand Mogul: Imperial Painting in India, 1600-1660 Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute , 9/25/1978 - 6/10/1979

Myths, Monsters, Maharajas: Introducing the Binney Collection San Diego Museum of Art , 11/23/1991 - 1/26/1992

Power & Desire: South Asian Paintings from the San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego Museum of Art , 4/29/2000 - 10/5/2003

Domains of Wonder: Selected Masterworks of Indian Painting San Diego Museum of Art , 10/22/2005 - 1/27/2008

Into India: South Asian Paintings from The San Diego Museum of Art San Diego Museum of Art , 2/28/2012 - 5/27/2012

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Dr. Milo Cleveland Beach and Mr. Stuart Cary Welch. The Grand Mogul: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, Massachusetts, 1978
Page Number: 171-72, 173, Figure Number: 70

Toby Falk. Persian and Mughal Art P & D Colnaghi & Co Ltd. London, England, 1976
Page Number: 184, 210, Figure Number: 100

Dr. Caron Smith. Arts of Asia Arts of Asia Publications Ltd. Hong Kong, September 2000-October 2000
Page Number: 87, 89, Figure Number: 8

Percy Brown. Indian Painting Under the Mughals, A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1750 Hacker Art Books. New York, New York, 1975
Page Number: 147, Figure Number: 54

Power and Desire: Hong Kong Museum of Art. 2001
Page Number: cat. no. 14, Figure Number: 14

Dr. Caron Smith. Pouvoir et Désir: Miniatures Indiennes, Collection Edwin Binney 3rd du San Diego Museum of Art Paris musées/Éditions Findakly. Paris/Suilly-la-Tour, France, 2002
Page Number: 8

Roselyne Hurel. Pouvoir et Désir: Miniatures Indiennes, Collection Edwin Binney 3rd du San Diego Museum of Art Paris musées/Éditions Findakly. Paris/Suilly-la-Tour, France, 2002
Page Number: 23, Figure Number: 14 (detail)

Amina Okada. Pouvoir et Désir: Miniatures Indiennes, Collection Edwin Binney 3rd du San Diego Museum of Art Paris musées/Éditions Findakly. Paris/Suilly-la-Tour, France, 2002
Page Number: 56, 57, Figure Number: 14

Brijinder Nath Goswamy and Dr. Caron Smith. Domains of Wonder: San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 2005
Page Number: 140, 141, Figure Number: 54

Mr. Joseph N. Newland, QED, ed. Muraqqa´ Art Services International. Alexandria, Virginia, 2008
Page Number: 471 no. 9, notes 1, 2

Dr. Sonya Quintanilla and Patrick Coleman. Visiones de la India Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Madrid, 2012
Page Number: 152, 281, Figure Number: cat. 64, p. 153

Dr. Sonya Quintanilla and Patrick Coleman. Visiones de la India (Mexico) Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia. Mexico , 2013
Page Number: 155, Figure Number: cat. 63, p. 162

Asok Kumar Das. Splendour of Mughal Painting Vakils, Feffer & Simons Limited. Bombay, India, 1986
Page Number: 50-51, Figure Number: Plate XVI

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