{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O114114"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O114114/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2013GR2255/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2013GR2255/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2013GR2255","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2013GR2256","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2011FA2026","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2013GB1044","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O114114/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O114114","accessionNumber":"IM.136-1921","objectType":"Painting","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Mansur had begun his illustrious career during Akbar’s reign (1556-1605). His work is found in some of the pages of the V&A's Akbarnama. He continued to work in the royal library under Jahangir (r. 1605-1627), and was with other artists who accompanied the emperor in his frequent travels across the empire. Jahangir gave him the title Nadir al-‘Asr, or Wonder of the Age. Only he and one other artist, Abu'l Hasan, are recorded as having been honoured in this way. Mansur was particularly famous for his studies of birds, animals and flowers.\r\n\r\nThe Cheer Pheasant (catreus wallichii) may have been seen by the artist in Kashmir, a province which Jahangir loved and frequently visited, especially in the last years of his reign. The borders of densely arranged gold flowering plants on indigo-dyed paper  probably also date to the reign of Jahangir.\r\nAnother closely similar version of the painting is in the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum in Jaipur (AG 834).","physicalDescription":"Painting, in  opaque watercolour, watercolour wash and gold on paper, depicting a Himalayan Cheer Pheasant perched in a natural landscape; ascribed to Mansur. Indigo dyed borders filled with flowering plants in gold.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Mansur","id":"A1620"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"AAT251917"},"note":"The painting is attributed to the artist in black ink on the painting beneath the bird;s feet: amal-e Ustad Mansur', 'work of Ustad Mansur'."}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"opaque watercolour","id":"x35013"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"gold","id":"AAT11021"},{"text":"","id":""}],"techniques":[{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Opaque watercolour and gold on paper","categories":[{"text":"Paintings","id":"THES48917"},{"text":"Animals and Wildlife","id":"THES250852"},{"text":"Bonita Trust Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project","id":"THES263148"}],"styles":[{"text":"Mughal court","id":"x30977"},{"text":"Mughal","id":"AAT18939"},{"text":"Mughal","id":"x30978"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2013GR2255","2013GR2256","2011FA2026","2013GB1044"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"006","id":"THES403710"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"painting","id":"AAT33618"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Mughal Empire","id":"THES262021"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1620","earliest":"1615-01-01","latest":"1624-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by Lady Wantage","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"Half Imperial Mount (Portrait)","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"amal-e Ustad Mansur","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"work of [the] Master Mansur","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"this is an attribution, not a signature"}],"objectHistory":"Part of the bequest of the Right Honourable Harriet Sarah Baroness Wantage, of Locking House, Wantage Berks, widow of the first and last Baron Wantage, V.C., K.C.B., V.D.\r\n\r\nR.P. 1920-8342, 1920-5869, 1921-3081, 1921-177","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Painting, Himalayan Cheer Pheasant, by Mansur, opaque watercolour and gold on paper. Mughal, ca. 1620","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"M. A. Alvi and A. Rahman, Jahangir - the naturalist, New Delhi: The National Institute of Sciences of India, 1968, plate XIV\r\nAsok Kumar Das, Wonders of Nature. Ustad Mansur at the Mughal Court, The Marg Foundation, Mumbai, 2012, pp. 122-3 and figure V.51.\r\n"},{"reference":{"text":"In the image of man : the Indian perception of the universe through 2000 years of painting and sculpture : [exhibition / organized by Catherine Lampert assisted by Rosalie Cass]. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson :in association with the Arts Council of Great Britain, 1982 Number: 0297780719, 0297781243 (pbk.)","id":"AUTH339940"},"details":"p. 107, cat. no. 48","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Clarke, C. Stanley; Indian Drawings: Thirty Mogul Paintings of the School of Jehangir and Four Panels of Calligraphy ini the Wantage Bequest. London 1922","id":"AUTH347793"},"details":"No. 24, pl. 16","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"A Himalayan Cheer Pheasant perched in a natural landscape.","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"pheasant","id":"x35161"},{"text":"landscape","id":"AAT8626"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"A HIMALAYAN CHEER PHEASANT\r\nOpaque watercolour and gold on paper\r\nMughal, ascribed to Mansur\r\nc. 1620\r\nIM.136-1921\n\r\nMansur is famous for his studies of birds, animals and flowers. He began his illustrious career during Akbar’s reign and continued to work in the royal library for Jahangir. He and other artists accompanied Jahangir on his frequent travels across the empire. The emperor gave him the title Nadir al-’Asr, or ‘Wonder of the Age’.","date":{"text":"27/9/2013","earliest":"2013-09-27","latest":"2013-09-27"}}],"partNumbers":["IM.136-1921"],"accessionNumberNum":"136","accessionNumberPrefix":"IM","accessionYear":1921,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-19","recordCreationDate":"2005-07-15","availableToBook":false}}