Mohammad Zaman

In Dehli around the year 1660 CE, he met Niccolao Manucci, a Venetian traveler who wrote accounts of the Mughal rule.

A painting of Judith with the severed head of Holofernes, currently in the Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, is signed "Ya sahib al-zaman", one of the titles of the 12th Shia Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi.

[16][17] Mohammad Zaman favored night scenes, and his work combined multiple influences, drawing subjects from European paintings but with Mughal or Kashmiri stylistic touches.

The style could also be seen in his forest scenes, which include exaggerated forms, heavy contrasts between light and dark, and picturesque mountains and streams.

The text adjacent to the image is a section of the Tale of the Indian Princess, which ends with a description of food and wine for a banquet in the King and Queen's pavilion.

Blue Iris by Muhammad Zaman, Brooklyn Museum , 1663-1664.
The Night Halt by Muhammad Zaman, a page from an album of paintings and calligraphy, Musée du Louvre , 1660-1675
Refer to caption
Judith with the Severed Head of Holofernes, The Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, c. 1680 AD .