Red-Headed Vulture | Restored Mughal Wall Art

A study of a red-headed vulture (Aegypius calvus) standing on a rocky outcrop against a pale Mughal sky — observed with the disciplined attention Jahangir's court required of its naturalist painters. Above and below the painting, Persian calligraphy in cartouches; around it, a blue-and-gold floral border and a folio margin of intricate gold scrollwork.

Attributed to Mansur (active ca. 1589-1626), the Mughal painter Jahangir bestowed the title Nadir al-asr — "wonder of the age" — upon, for the precision of his nature studies. The emperor relied on Mansur to record everything from rare flowers to the menagerie of his zoological gardens; many of these studies survive as some of the earliest accurate natural-history illustrations in Indian art.

The folio belongs to the Shah Jahan Album, the most ambitious imperial album ever assembled by the Mughal court — commissioned to honour the painters and calligraphers of his father Jahangir's atelier.

Restored from the museum archives by aurahliving.com.