A Fine Example of a Beautiful Mughal

Painting
The virtues of nature over mankind
Squirrels in a plane tree (1605–08) by Abu’l Hasan Nadir al-Zaman (attributed). Gouache with
gold. 36.2 x 22.5 cm (page 47.0 x 32.2 cm). India Office Library and Records, British Library,
London, U.K. Image source Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes a painting comes along that shifts the way you look at the world. It happened to me
recently with this image, Squirrels in a plane tree, with its elaborate layering of tree leaves
painted in the russet shades of autumn.

Since these same glowing colours are reflected in the current season where I live, it feels like
there are echoes of this painting everywhere I look. Except that, in this image, the subtle array of
colour tones creates a new touch of perfection.

Detail of ‘Squirrels in a plane tree’ (1605–08) by Abu’l Hasan Nadir al-Zaman (attributed).
Gouache with gold. 36.2 x 22.5 cm (page 47.0 x 32.2 cm). India Office Library and Records,
British Library, London, U.K. Image source Wikimedia Commons

Harmony under threat

The image is an invocation of the flurry of autumn’s transition. More than a dozen squirrels
chase around the branches of a plane tree — otherwise known as a chinar or sycamore.

The landscape around the tree is rocky and mountainous, where wild animals and birds graze.
Four wild goats occupy a glade whilst numerous species of birds swoop, perch and feed around
the grass and the extended branches of the tree.

The pastel green of the grasses and the soft-hued purples of the rocks suggest a harmonious
setting. Yet, despite all this, all is not peaceful in the glade.

Detail of ‘Squirrels in a plane tree’ (1605–08) by Abu’l Hasan Nadir al-Zaman (attributed).
Gouache with gold. 36.2 x 22.5 cm (page 47.0 x 32.2 cm). India Office Library and Records,
British Library, London, U.K. Image source Wikimedia Commons

At the foot of the tree, a man wearing a fur-lined cap prepares to climb up. What is he up to?
What is he after? A drama seems to be unfolding.

On first reading, we might think this a depiction of a hunter on a search for a squirrel or two to
poach. With bare feet, and using the natural nooks of the trunk as climbing holds, he begins to
scale the tree. Notice the way his outer garment is tucked into his waistband, thereby creating a
pouch for him to store his catch.

Non-Indian squirrels
And yet this interpretation of the scene doesn’t quite fit with historical fact. For instance, in
Persia or Mughal India squirrels were not normally hunted for either food or captivity. Nor were
the type of squirrel depicted here — with tufted ears especially — found in India at the time.
Detail of ‘Squirrels in a plane tree’ (1605–08) by Abu’l Hasan Nadir al-Zaman (attributed).
Gouache with gold. 36.2 x 22.5 cm (page 47.0 x 32.2 cm). India Office Library and Records,
British Library, London, U.K. Image source Wikimedia Commons

Naturalists have confirmed that the depicted species is a common red squirrel, found in Europe
and north Asia — although now sadly declined due to habitat loss and the incursion of the more
gregarious grey squirrel.

Nor is the hunter thought to be an Indian figure. Historians have suggested that such a character
might be more suited to a hunting scene by the likes of the 17th century Dutch engraver Philip
Galle, or perhaps an image by the great painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
The Peasant and the Nest Robber (1568) Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Oil on oak wood.
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Image source Wikimedia Commons

Bruegel’s The Peasant and the Nest Robber is a good example (shown above). The image is
thought to be a depiction of the proverb “He who knows where the nest is, knows it. He who
takes it, has it” — providing a visual depiction of the difference between active and passive
people.

Bearing all this in mind, it seems likely that Mughal squirrel painting was built up from the
European images that the artist came across, possibly in the form of engravings or drawings.
European companies were active across the Mughal empire, and objects and cultural goods were
widely traded.
Squirrels in a plane tree (1605–08) by Abu’l Hasan Nadir al-Zaman (attributed). Gouache with
gold. 36.2 x 22.5 cm (page 47.0 x 32.2 cm). India Office Library and Records, British Library,
London, U.K. Image source Wikimedia Commons

So where did the artist, thought to be Abu’l Hasan Nadir al-Zaman, a Mughal artist who lived
during the reigns of Akbar the Great and Jahangir, find his non-native squirrel subject matter?
Well, it is known that the artist had a strong interest in natural history and it’s possible he
possessed caged specimens of foreign animals, including squirrels.

Despicable man, harmonious nature

As for the meaning of the painting, a more allegorical reading might be more appropriate —
again borrowed from European traditions.

The man climbs up the tree driven by malign intentions as suggested by his fur trimmed
headwear, but in this case he is bound to fail since the chances of him laying his hands on a
quick-witted squirrel are unlikely. In contrast, the free and harmonious world of nature,
exemplified by the playful squirrels and the menagerie of other animals, live peaceably together.

So the image is most likely an allegory of the selfish intentions of mankind contrasted against the
amiable realm of nature.

However we choose to interpret the image, it’s impossible to overlook its beauty and sensitivity
to form and colour, with its intricate patterning of autumnal leaves glowing like lanterns. In
addition, the image has been mounted in an 18th-century album, complete with blue borders and
sprinkled with gold — ornamenting the scene to full affect.