f.18
recto:

Fighting camels, 17th century.

A pair of fighting camels painted in the nim-rang (half-colour) style. The image is popular in Persian painting as a representation of the 'give and take' of animals in combat. The grey camel on the left, depicted from the rear, is gnawing at the haunch of the brown camel, which is in profile, biting the left rear ankle of the grey.

The painting is inscribed on the left with the signature of Reza Abbasi, the leading court artist in Isfahan under the Safavid Shah Abbas I (although it is most likely a later copy). 


Painting of a group of men inside a fortress courtyard discuss the depth of water in a tank. One man, apparently a messenger from the besieging army, measures the water with his staff while addressing those assembled. Outside, the troops are engaged in strategic discussions. The painting is evidently an illustration to a historical manuscript. Two panels of Persian text in the top right and lower left corners have been crudely overpainted.


For further information on this album see RCIN 1005069.