Battle Between Bhima and Duryodhana
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Watercolor |
| Current Location: | The painting is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA. |
| Location History: | This folio originally belonged to a Mughal illustrated manuscript of the Razmnama, produced in North India during the Mughal period (c. 1616–1617 CE). The manuscript was commissioned under imperial patronage and created in royal workshops. Over time, the manuscript was dispersed into individual folios, which were later collected by museums and private collectors. This particular folio entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art through acquisition (Rogers Fund, 1955). |
The artwork entitled 'Battle Between Bhima and Duryodhana' (from the Razmnama) is a remarkable representation of one of the most emotionally intense and vital episodes of the Mahabharata. Being created by the artist Fazl and included into the illustrated manuscript of the Razmnama – a version of the Mahabharata in Persian written on behalf of Emperor Akbar – such production may be considered as one of the great cultural initiatives to popularize great Indian literature among the Mughal court. In the given painting, Fazl pays considerable attention to the depiction of the movement and the dynamics of the story that takes place. The artists shows the two main characters engaged in the fight in active poses, highlighting the physical and emotional intensity of the episode. The gestures, postures and facial expressions of the figures together with the additional figures and objects of the battlefield help to draw attention to the most critical moment of the episode and to create the impression of activity and urgency. Fazl proves his skillful approach to the combination of detailed painting and coherent composition. Instead of creating an overwhelming picture, the painter makes the figures perform in the layers, which helps to interpret the picture, this only enhances the clarity of the narrative and allows the viewer to understand the scene in a structured and meaningful way. The use of opaque pigments along with the application of gold serves to create both the sense of beauty and symbolism. This creates an interesting palette of colors which is not too colorful, and it serves to distinguish the characters, their attire, and crucial places of action in the scene. This painting serves as an example of the combination of artistic methods used by Persians and the narratives of Indians. The idioms of Mughal miniature paintings, known for their accuracy and ornamentation, were combined with the dramatic episodes from Mahabharata. Such combinations were typical of the Mughal period under Akbar and Jahangir. Overall, Fazl’s paintings serve as an example of how the Mughal painters were able to transform literary epics into scenes of visual narratives.
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