ALTERNATE VIEWS Alamshah cleaving asunder the chain of the wheel, from volume 11 of a Hamza-nama (Adventures of Hamza) c. 1560s - 1570s India, Mughal, 16th century, made for Akbar (reigned 1556–1605) Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on cotton and paper Page: 83.7 x 67 cm (32 15/16 x 26 3/8 in.) Gift of George P. Bickford 1976.74 DID YOU KNOW? The title in the bottom margin is a continuation of the text on the previous page. DESCRIPTION Wielding a curved sword, and with a stabbing dagger tucked into his belt, the hero Alamshah perches on a cliff above a rushing torrent of water. The villain who raised the massive bronze plug on the dam in order to wash away the hero’s camp has just been slain, his body tumbling backward. This page came from a 14-volume book commissioned by Emperor Akbar. Astonishing in size and scale, the paintings reveal Akbar’s preference for dramatic action. The distinctive, recognizable Mughal painting style was fully developed over the 15 years it took to produce the Hamza-nama. Shading, volume, animated gestures, and vibrant color are some of the main characteristics that distinguish Mughal paintings from earlier works made in India and Iran. PROVENANCE Tabbagh; George P. Bickford, Cleveland . CITATIONS The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 303 archive.org EXHIBITION HISTORY Arthur M.Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (6/21/2002 - 9/9/2002); The Brooklyn Museum of Art (11/1/2002 - 1/26/2003): "The Adventures of Hamza", exh. cat. no. 51, pp.162-[163], R78, p. [266]. Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245); December 31, 2013 - June 30, 2014. Year in Review, 1976. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 1-March 6, 1977). The Year in Review for 1982. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-February 6, 1983). The Adventures of Hamza. Smithsonian Institution Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC (organizer) (June 21-September 29, 2002); The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY (November 1, 2002-January 26, 2003). Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).