VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston presents a MFAH Special Lecture -  The Magnanimity of Mohammad Khan Takallu, Saturday, December 10 at 2pm. Presented by Speaker: scholar and collector Abolala Soudavar, Board of Trustees Accessions Committee, MFAH, 1986–94; author of Art of the Persian Courts; The Aura of Kings: Legitimacy and Divine Sanction in Iranian Kingship; and Decoding Old Masters: Patrons, Princes and Enigmatic Paintings of the 15th Century. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts.

From the moment the Mughal Emperor Homayun (ruled 1530–40 and 1555–56) set foot on Iranian territory, Shah Tahmasb (ruled 1514–76) carefully orchestrated a number of reception ceremonies not only to impress his royal guest, but also to exploit his visit for political propaganda. The exchange of gifts played a major role in these ceremonies, as each gift was meant to subtly taunt the guest with the superiority and grandeur of his host.

No episode is more revealing in this respect than the exchange of gifts between Mohammad Khan Takallu, the governor of Khorasan, and Homayun. Although unreported in the chronicles of the Safavid Dynasty, the story of this gift exchange appears in a compendium of folkloric tales. The story has an overall derogatory tone toward the Mughals—it describes how the magnanimity of the Khorasan governor dwarfed the largess of Homayun—yet it is a Mughal painting that illustrates the incident. Using this and many other examples of gifts exchanges between the Safavid and Mughal rulers, Abolala Soudavar shows how magnanimity had an intrinsic value that transcended courtly affiliation.

This lecture is open to the public, free with general museum admission. MFAH Members always receive free admission. A reception to meet the speaker follows the program.