Life and work Ustad Mansur

tulip kashmir (c. 1610) mansur naqqash

the year of mansur s birth unknown. name suffixed in miniatures naqqash, can refer artist, painter, or carver, indicating came family in artistic profession. single miniature showing babur meeting sister (folio 8, national museum) attributed mansur otherwise finds no mention in babur s memoirs (baburnama). associated other artists of period including basawan, miskina , nanha. during akbar s reign appears have been involved colourist in plates book of akbar (akbarnama) , name not mentioned abu l-fazl among list of artists. akbar followed principle artwork should include name of artist on margin. british museum s copy of akbarnama (1604) includes folios (35,110a,110b , 112a) name prefixed ustad (=master), indicating rise excellence.

early works included parts of portraits , other scenes. earliest works made part of baburnama (1590–95) , of these assistant or colourist. veena-player (c. 1595) , coronation portrait of jahangir (c. 1605, made along artist manohar) works. in 1612, jehangir received turkey cock goa , illustrated mansur. in 1619, jehangir received barbary falcon gift shah abbas of persia; jehangir found rare , beautifully patterned , ordered likeness made of bird. in 1620, jehangir visited kashmir , spotted brown dipper described in memoirs (tuzk-e-jahangiri) translated as:

dipper (c. 1620) metropolitan museum of art

... in stream saw bird saj. dives , remains long time underneath , comes different place. ordered them catch , bring 2 or 3 of these birds, might ascertain whether waterfowl , web-footed, or had open feet land birds. caught two... 1 died , other lived day. feet not webbed duck s. ordered nadirul-asr ustad mansur draw likeness.

mansur painted @ least 1 hundred flowers kashmir valley during period. red tulip kashmir better-known painting. identity of tulip debated competing suggestions include tulipa lanata, t. montana , t. lehmanniana. in 1621, jehangir gifted zebra , perhaps subject of last miniature painting made mansur. suggested career ended reign of jehangir in 1627. several other signed works, such 1 of siberian crane (now no longer winter migrant india) , other of bengal florican in indian museum, kolkata. other works in national museum, delhi, maharaja sawai man singh ii museum, jaipur , chhatrapati sivaji vastu sangrahalaya, mumbai.

siberian crane (c. 1625)

not of mansur s birds based on reality. created fantasy birds , many of compositions such flowers , insects in background juxtapositions created effect. appears these imaginary birds made in style of senior peers, miskina , ikhlas, , made in career artist. in terms of style, mansur s illustrations focus on detail single bird dominating composition. birds or animals in standing posture or in feeding stance. used plants , insects in background , floral borders, characteristic of mughal works may in identifying works.

the significant paintings, in terms of zoology, of siberian crane , dodo. siberian crane painting made before formally described , given binomial name peter simon pallas in 1773. painting of dodo among rare few depicted in colour , important source zoologists. thought dodo brought jehangir s court via portuguese-controlled goa , painting of discovered in hermitage @ st. petersburg , although unsigned has been thought work of mansur or close contemporary. siberian crane painted on paper extremely detailed showing wrinkles on bare skin, legs , small feather stuck claw. abanindranath tagore taken e. b. havell, principal of art school @ calcutta , shown painting. on examining detail through lens, inspired move away oil on canvas gouache on paper.

a c. 1612 chameleon @ royal gallery attributed ustad mansur

ustad mansur not artist in mughal court illustrate flora , fauna. other artists included abu l hasan, farrukh beg, govardhan, inayat, manohar, muhammad nadir, murad , pidarath. jehangir considered mansur , abu l hasan exceptional artists. abu l hasan given titled of nadir uz zaman. several 17th-19th century artists have come both imitate , copy works (sometimes signature), export europe. therefore not easy assess true work ustad mansur, can in case of chameleon (left) done taking in account quality of work. painting highly detailed , presumed indian chameleon on account of highly detailed view of feet of animal showing each foot exhibiting fused digits in opposed groups , lighter band edge of mouth, , line of white scales on underside of belly.

mansur capable portrait artist. painting of musician naubat khan worked in courts of akbar , later jahangir example.

a crater on planet mercury named in honour of mansur.