An Illustrated Leaf presumably from the Dvâdasa Bhâva ('Twelve Existences'), North India, Allahabad, c. 1600-05 Mughal painting at Prince Salîm's court in Allahabad at the turn of the 17th century This exceptional page is a rare example of book arts production at the court of Prince Salîm, future Emperor Jahangir, in Allahabad, North India, at the turn of the 17th century.

The Dvâdasa Bhâva or Twelve Existences:

 The Dvâdasa Bhâva or The Twelve Existences is a Persian translation of a Sanskrit text. This text, centered on a royal figure by the name of Vikramanka, is said to have been written for a prince named Mirkânak, who is mentioned several times in the narrative. Neither his identity nor that of the king is clearly defined.As for the subject of the narrative, the text seems to tell the story of a young woman aspiring to the life of an ascetic.

Description: Manuscript folio on paper with 4 lines of text in Persian nasta'liq in black ink, some names in red, blue and gold inks, the text framing an important illustration in gouache heightened with gold, depicting an ascetic dervish in conversation with a woman under a tree, his cane and beaker beside him. In the foreground, a body of water populated by wading birds and a fish emerging amidst water lilies, and behind the protagonists several landscape shots unfold: hills animated by birds, another occupied by two notables with nimbed faces in conversation at the foot of a tree, a body of water with a boat and, in the distance, the outline of a city.