Miniature from a copy of the Ramayana. ‘Sita Shies Away from Hanuman, Believing He is Ravana in Disguise’
India, Mughal; 1594
Leaf: 37.8 × 25.6 cm
Inventory number 68/1998
The Great Mughal Akbar was known for his religious tolerance, and he did what he could to give his fellow Muslims insight into Hindu culture. He had holy Hindu scriptures translated into Persian, and he presented the magnificent copy of the Ramayana from which this miniature comes to his mother in 1594.
Sita, wife of the protagonist, Rama, has been captured by the evil demon Ravana. The artist displays unusually great psychological insight in dramatically depicting the moment when with horror Sita begins to doubt whether it really is her good friend, the monkey general Hanuman, standing before her.
Sita, wife of the protagonist, Rama, has been captured by the evil demon Ravana. The artist displays unusually great psychological insight in dramatically depicting the moment when with horror Sita begins to doubt whether it really is her good friend, the monkey general Hanuman, standing before her.
Published in
Published in
Kjeld von Folsach: Art from the world of Islam in The David Collection, Copenhagen 2001, cat. 62;
Steen Estvad Petersen: Drømmen om Paradiset. Islamisk havekultur, Valby 2005, p. 340;
Kjeld von Folsach: For the Privileged Few. Islamic Miniature Painting from The David Collection, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk 2007, cat. 69;
Oliver Watson and Hubert Bari: Beyond Boundaries. Islamic Art Across Cultures, Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar, Doha 2008, pp. 12-15;
Kjeld von Folsach: Flora islamica. Plantemotiver i islamisk kunst, Davids Samling, Copenhagen 2013, cat. 4; Kjeld von Folsach and Joachim Meyer: The Human Figure in Islamic Art. Holy Men, Princes and Commoners, The David Collection, Copenhagen 2017, cat. 73;
John Seyller, Marika Sardar and Audrey Truschke: The Ramayana of Hamida Banu Begum, Queen Mother of Mughal India, Cinisello Balsamo 2020, cat. 29, pp. 110-111;
Nuzhat Kazmi: Awrâq-e Musavvir. Mughal Art of Portraiture, The Intellectual Context and Content, Gurugram 2022, pl. 7;
Sylvia Houghteling: The Art of Cloth in Mughal India, Princeton 2022, fig. 1.24, pp. 58-59;
Amina Taha Hussein-Okada (ed.): Ramayana. Illustré par les miniatures indiennes du XVIe au XIXe siècle, Paris 2024, p. 255;
Anjali Duhan-Gulia: The Dvādas Bhāv. A Mughal Version of a Sanskrit Story, Leiden 2026, fig. 27, pp. 94-95;
Steen Estvad Petersen: Drømmen om Paradiset. Islamisk havekultur, Valby 2005, p. 340;
Kjeld von Folsach: For the Privileged Few. Islamic Miniature Painting from The David Collection, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk 2007, cat. 69;
Oliver Watson and Hubert Bari: Beyond Boundaries. Islamic Art Across Cultures, Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar, Doha 2008, pp. 12-15;
Kjeld von Folsach: Flora islamica. Plantemotiver i islamisk kunst, Davids Samling, Copenhagen 2013, cat. 4; Kjeld von Folsach and Joachim Meyer: The Human Figure in Islamic Art. Holy Men, Princes and Commoners, The David Collection, Copenhagen 2017, cat. 73;
John Seyller, Marika Sardar and Audrey Truschke: The Ramayana of Hamida Banu Begum, Queen Mother of Mughal India, Cinisello Balsamo 2020, cat. 29, pp. 110-111;
Nuzhat Kazmi: Awrâq-e Musavvir. Mughal Art of Portraiture, The Intellectual Context and Content, Gurugram 2022, pl. 7;
Sylvia Houghteling: The Art of Cloth in Mughal India, Princeton 2022, fig. 1.24, pp. 58-59;
Amina Taha Hussein-Okada (ed.): Ramayana. Illustré par les miniatures indiennes du XVIe au XIXe siècle, Paris 2024, p. 255;
Anjali Duhan-Gulia: The Dvādas Bhāv. A Mughal Version of a Sanskrit Story, Leiden 2026, fig. 27, pp. 94-95;
Miniature Paintings
Miniature pasted on cardboard. ‘A European in a landscape’
Miniature from a copy of Rashid al-Din’s Jami al-tawarikh. ‘Tayang Khan Presented with the Head of the Mongol Leader Ong Khan’
Miniature pasted on an album leaf. ‘A Prince Visiting his Library’. Attributed to La’l
Miniature pasted on an album leaf. ‘Showing a Painting in Front of a Grotto’