"Misbah the Grocer Brings the Spy Parran to his House", Folio from a Hamzanama (The Adventures of Hamza)

Dasavanta · 1570-06-20T00:00:00Z

The Hamzanama recounts the adventures of Hamza, an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad who was a legendary defender of the faith. This painting shows Misbah on the right and Parran on the left as they plot to rescue Hamza’s kidnapped son. It comes from a multivolume, large‑scale copy of the text made for the emperor Akbar, which took approximately fifteen years to complete. Unlike most books, its paintings were possibly meant to be held up for an audience while a storyteller recited the text.