THE FOX'S FEAR

Rendered in opaque watercolour, gold, and ink on a compact 14 x 7.2 cm sheet of paper, this exquisitely detailed miniature painting, titled ‘The Fox's Fear’, is part of Emperor Akbar's pocket ‘Divan of Anvari’. The artist Miskin painted the folio (314a) after Akbar commissioned it at his court in Lahore around 1588. Miskin, one of the most brilliant and celebrated animal painters of the imperial court, is still celebrated for his depiction of biological realism in his paintings. In this folio, he has illustrated the 12th-century poet Anvari's verse, bringing the Seljug poet's lines into visual form. The tense drama of a foxhunt across broken, mineral toned terrain staged a swift and violent chase amidst sharp crags and outcrops. A mounted hunter can be seen galloping furiously with his sword raised high, almost as if mid-air, accompanied by an attendant on foot and an eager hound tracking their prey. Flanked by calligraphed Persian verses in refined nasta'liq script on the borders of the painting, it reflects Akbar's personal theological philosophy, that an artist who draws living limbs, comes to realize his human limits and turns to God/ Creator and inevitably is driven to recognize him as the ultimate giver of life. Despite the pocket-sized format, Miskin infused the scene with immense dynamism, creating a remarkable sense of speed and physical tension. Thus, through his incredible use of watercolour and ink, Miskin managed to bring both, the poet's imagination as well as the execution of a royal sport to life quite vibrantly.