Asia Week New York

In 1621, a zebra from East Africa was presented to Emperor Jahangir, who had never seen such an animal before and at first thought its coat had been painted. We are proud to present one of only three known imperial Mughal paintings of a zebra. These rare animal paintings reveal the emperors' fascination with the natural world.

Another aspect of Mughal painting currently under study is the loose paintings with inscriptions and ownership seals on the verso, made by the imperial librarians. This information sometimes tells a fascinating story about the history of a painting, as is the case with our A Farrier Shoeing a Royal Horse, attributed to Mukhlis, c. 1585. The painting belonged to Asaf Khan (brother of the Empress Nur Jahan and father of Mumtaz Mahal) during his lifetime, but was returned to the Imperial Library upon his death in 1641.
These two paintings, along with our other AWNY paintings, are discussed in our online catalogue.

Asia Week New York Exhibition | 13th – 20th March, 2025 | 10am - 6pm

Exhibiting at Les Enluminures Gallery 

23 East 73rd Street
7th Floor Penthouse
New York 10021