- Title
- Attack on the People of Hams (recto), Calligraphy (verso), Folio from a Tarikh-i Alfi (Millennial History)
- Date Made
- circa 1592-1594
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 16 3/4 x 9 7/8 in. (42.55 x 25.08 cm); Image: 16 3/4 x 9 3/4 in. (42.55 x 24.77 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.83.105.3
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
The Tarikh-i Alfi (Millennial History) was compiled for the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) between 1581-1582 and 1593-1594. It is a history of the Muslim rulers during the first millennium of the Muslim error, which ended in 1591. The project overseer was the eminent historian Badaoni. Seven authors were initially involved, each of whom wrote on an individual year. This rotation was repeated for five years up to the 35th year, at which point additional authors were assigned to complete the work. Badaoni and Asaf Khan revised and corrected the entire manuscript, which is now dispersed. See also M.78.9.4.
This folio, which has illuminations and text on the recto and text only on the verso, portrays the people of the military district of Hams (or Homs) in Syria ransacking the palace of Governor Fazal. The Abbasid Caliph Mustain (r. 862-866) sent an army in a naval expedition to suppress the revolt. The Caliph’s army is shown attacking the rioters who had breached the palace. The larger central figure in the boat at the bottom likely represents the Caliph himself.
- Selected Bibliography
- Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Painting, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1993.
- Heeramaneck, Alice N. Masterpieces of Indian Painting : From the Former Collections of Nasli M. Heeramaneck. New York: A.N. Heeramaneck, 1984.
- 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.
