Muhammad Zaki, 1241 AH/AD 1825-1826 [mode of acquisition unknown] [oval seal, fols. 1a, 211a]
'abd al-raji Muhammad Shafi', 1247 AH/AD 1831-1832 [mode of acquisition unknown] [rectangular seal fols. 1a, 211a]
Muhammad 'Ali [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [large oval seal with no date on fol. 211a]
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]
1931: bequeathed to Walters Art Museum by Henry Walters
The Story of the Talisman that Detects Insincerity, also titled The Story of the Talisman that Detects Insincerity as Told by the Princess of the White Pavilion, is a Mughal manuscript illustration created in 1597–1598. It belongs to an illustrated Khamsa (Quintet) of Amir Khusraw Dihlavi, produced in Lahore during the reign of Emperor Akbar. The artist was Surdas Gujarati, and the manuscript was written by the calligrapher Muhammad Husayn Zarrin Qalam.
The illustration shows a story being narrated by the Princess of the White Pavilion to Bahram Gur. In the tale, a king searching for a sincere woman to marry receives a magical talisman that laughs whenever a woman behaves dishonestly. The artist depicts the narrtive tension as the golden statue laughs when a woman pretends to faint. It not only exposes the difference between the woman's outward performance and her true inner intentions but also makes the talisman an impartial witness, revealing what human appearances conceal.
Executed in ink and pigments on laid paper, the composition's colour palette reflects the refines refined visual language of late-sixteenth-century Mughal manuscript painting. The metallic appearance of the golden talisman against the subdued surrounding presents a visual focus. The decorative details and carefully drawn outlines add a touch of elite, royal status associated with Mughal manuscripts. The use of gold also gives the supposedly magical object an authority that ordinary human testimony lacks.
The artist Surdas Gujarati portrays a moral human concern still relevant today - the difficulty of distinguishing sincerity from deception.
The painting thus turns a courtly tale into a visual reflection on honesty, trust, and the limitations of judging people by their outward behaviour.
The Story of the Talisman that Detects Insincerity as Told by the Princess of the White Pavilion is a Mughal Manuscript. There are many people and camels in the painting.
