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A Pair of Mynas

ca. 1620
Not on view
This striking painting depicts two Myna birds on a vibrant red background. A male, in the background, and a female, in the foreground, gaze to the left side of the painting. The artist has captured subtle gestures that bring these birds to life, including the open beak of the male Myna and the bunched claw of the female.

Natural history paintings produced in Mughal India in the seventeenth century were a favorite genre of the emperor Jahangir (r. 1605–27). The emperor’s interest in the natural world led to the creation of many striking paintings documenting the flora and fauna and birdlife of the seventeenth century.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Pair of Mynas
  • Date: ca. 1620
  • Geography: Country of Origin India
  • Medium: Opaque color on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 5 3/4 × 3 3/4 in. (14.6 × 9.5 cm)
    Frame: 9 × 6 15/16 × 9/16 in. (22.9 × 17.6 × 1.4 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions, Harris Brisbane Dick, and 2020 Benefit Funds; Howard S. and Nancy Marks, Lila Acheson Wallace, and Friends of Islamic Art Gifts; Louis V. Bell, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, and Rogers Funds and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest; and funds from various donors, 2022
  • Object Number: 2022.178
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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