Alanquva and Her Three Sons, Folio from a Chingiznama (History of Genghis Khan)

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Alanquva and Her Three Sons, Folio from a Chingiznama (History of Genghis Khan)

Pakistan, Lahore, Mughal Empire, 1596
Drawings; watercolors
Opaque watercolor, gold and ink on paper
13 3/8 x 8 1/4 in. (33.97 x 20.32 cm)
From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase (M.78.9.9)
Currently on public view:
Resnick Pavilion, floor 1 MAP IT
Resnick Pavilion, floor 1

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Curator Notes

The Chingiznama (History of Genghis Khan) is a section of the Jami al-Tawarikh (History of the World) written by the eminent Persian historian Rashid al-Din (1247-1318)....
The Chingiznama (History of Genghis Khan) is a section of the Jami al-Tawarikh (History of the World) written by the eminent Persian historian Rashid al-Din (1247-1318). Its first section, called the Tarikh-i Ghazani, describes the history of the Mongol and Turkish tribes, concentrating on the Mongol Emperor Genghis (or Chingiz) Khan (r. 1206-1227) and his successors until the death of Ghazan Khan (r. 1295-1304). This manuscript of the Chingiznama was completed in 1596. It is now held mainly in the Gulistan Palace Library, Tehran. This folio portrays a mythical ancestor of the Mughals, Alanquva, and her three sons. She was believed to have been born miraculously after being impregnated by a divine light, which was inherited by the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605). Here, Alanquva is seated on a carpeted platform with her three sons within a tent enclosure. Golden and ceramic dishes of delicacies are laid out for their enjoyment and a group of women bearing additional food and drink approaches them. In the foreground outside of the enclosure are the segregated men, some of them also bringing refreshments and a bound volume.
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Bibliography

  • Komaroff, Linda, editor. Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books, 2023.
  • Rosenfield, John.  The Arts of India and Nepal: The Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection.  Boston:  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1966.
  • Komaroff, Linda, editor. Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books, 2023.
  • Rosenfield, John.  The Arts of India and Nepal: The Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection.  Boston:  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1966.
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, ed.  Aspects of Indian Art: Papers Presented in a Symposium at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  Leiden, The Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 1972.
  • Heeramaneck, Alice N.  Masterpieces of Indian Painting : From the Former Collections of Nasli M. Heeramaneck.  New York:  A.N. Heeramaneck, 1984.
  • Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Painting, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1993.
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