Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Indian Paintings from the Simon Digby Collection

(from 1st Oct 2013 until 5th Jan 2014)

Explore the recent acquisition of a rich and unusual collection of Indian paintings and manuscript pages.

Detail of Noblemen in durbar, Rajasthan, 18th century (Museum no: EA2012.225)
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Layla visits Majnun among the animals

  • Description

    In versions by the Persian poets Nizami and Amir Khusrau of Delhi, the old Arab tale of the separated lovers Layla and Majnun became a favourite subject of Mughal period painting. The young lovers first meet as children. Later, when prevented from seeing Layla by her family, the distracted Majnun (‘Mad’, ‘Possessed by jinn’) becomes a solitary wanderer in the wilderness. Chanting poems of love for Layla, he keeps company with the wild animals, holding court among them like a human king. In this later scene from the story, the now-married Layla pays a visit to Majnun in the wilderness. She holds a volume, perhaps of his verses, and her riding-camel rests nearby. The emaciated Majnun receives her courteously, resting against a gruff-looking lion as his throne cushion.

  • Details

    Series
    Layla and Majnun
    Associated place
    AsiaIndia north India (place of creation)
    Date
    late 18th century
    Material and technique
    grisaille brush drawing with slight colour on paper
    Dimensions
    22.5 x 32.8 cm (height x width)
    Material index
    Technique index
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Presented by the Simon Digby Memorial Charity, 2012.
    Accession no.
    EA2012.219

Past Exhibition

see (1)

Location

    • currently in research collection

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

 

Notice

Objects from past exhibitions may have now returned to our stores or a lender. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so please contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.

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