The Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn (July 15, 1606 - October 4, 1669) is famous for his insight into the human condition and for his keen appreciation of light and shade, and his unusually rich awareness of non-European fashions. In the 17th century, the master made a set of etchings of people garbed in clothes uncannily similar to the north Indian attire of the time.
So how did a painter born 400 years before the invention of Google who never set foot out of the Dutch Republic know what “orientals” wore? An answer may lie in the interactions between the Mughals and Jesuits.
In 1579, some decades after Akbar ascended to the Mughal throne, he invited a delegation of Portuguese Jesuits from Goa to his court to discuss their religion. The Jesuits immediately wrote home saying that they would soon convert the Grand Moghul.
While history shows that Akbar did not convert, he still encouraged interactions between Mughal and European artists that continued for centuries. Mughal artists learnt of the latest European styles – including Dutch naturalism – and in turn, around a century later, a set of Mughal miniatures might have made their way to the damp and distant home of the Dutch painter.
Between 1656 and the early 1660s, Rembrandt made a series of at least 20 etchings based on Mughal miniatures he had seen or possibly even possessed. There is some debate on where he might have seen these miniatures, though a collection of miniatures in Vienna have been identified as the prototype for at least some of his etchings. Yet, his studies are an odd amalgamation of two distinctive styles, his own and that of the Mughals.
His studies went well beyond these etchings. They echoed in his later works, in turban styles and the drape and texture of certain fabrics. These were a part of a larger movement to represent Biblical scenes as happening in a non-European world.
The influence of the Mughals carried beyond Rembrandt. A few decades later, composer Antonio Vivaldi, born some years after Rembrandt died, composed his Gran Mogul symphony, a part of which was just recently discovered.
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Four Orientals seated under a tree, c 1656-1661. Photo credit: British Museum
So how did a painter born 400 years before the invention of Google who never set foot out of the Dutch Republic know what “orientals” wore? An answer may lie in the interactions between the Mughals and Jesuits.
In 1579, some decades after Akbar ascended to the Mughal throne, he invited a delegation of Portuguese Jesuits from Goa to his court to discuss their religion. The Jesuits immediately wrote home saying that they would soon convert the Grand Moghul.
While history shows that Akbar did not convert, he still encouraged interactions between Mughal and European artists that continued for centuries. Mughal artists learnt of the latest European styles – including Dutch naturalism – and in turn, around a century later, a set of Mughal miniatures might have made their way to the damp and distant home of the Dutch painter.
A Mughal nobleman on horseback, c 1656-1661. Photo credit: British Museum
Between 1656 and the early 1660s, Rembrandt made a series of at least 20 etchings based on Mughal miniatures he had seen or possibly even possessed. There is some debate on where he might have seen these miniatures, though a collection of miniatures in Vienna have been identified as the prototype for at least some of his etchings. Yet, his studies are an odd amalgamation of two distinctive styles, his own and that of the Mughals.
His studies went well beyond these etchings. They echoed in his later works, in turban styles and the drape and texture of certain fabrics. These were a part of a larger movement to represent Biblical scenes as happening in a non-European world.
Four Orientals seated under a tree, c 1656-1661. Photo credit: British Museum
The influence of the Mughals carried beyond Rembrandt. A few decades later, composer Antonio Vivaldi, born some years after Rembrandt died, composed his Gran Mogul symphony, a part of which was just recently discovered.
Indian Prince as Warrior, c 1656-1661. Photo credit: Fogg Museum of Art
