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Hamza Escaping, Illustration from a Hamzanama (Story of Hamza) Series

Hamza Escaping, Illustration from a Hamzanama (Story of Hamza) Series

Indian

This unfinished painting depicts Hamza, in the center, untying himself from a palace’s column. The large rectangles near the top and the bottom of the page were reserved for text. The illustration was part of a Hamzanama (story of Hamza), which recounts of the legendary, in most cases, fanciful exploits of Amir Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad.

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Mughal period

Manuscripts