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Noah's Ark
ca. 1590

Miskin active late 1570s–ca. 1604)
Mughal dynasty
Reign of Akbar

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
H: 28.1 W: 15.6 cm
India

Purchase F1948.8

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Noah, his head surrounded by a flaming halo, sits at the center of this painting. A popular figure in the Koran, Noah (in Arabic, Nuh) also figures in poetic texts such as the Diwan (Collected Poems) by Hafiz.

Miskin, one of the greatest painters in the workshop of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605) is thought to have painted this page. An expert draftsman and colorist, Miskin was best known for his skilled and whimsical depictions of animals and birds.