Portrait of Mulla Do Piyazeh

Against a mint green background, a portly figure, recognizable as the folklore character Mulla Do Piyazeh, is depicted with a white robe with long sleeves and his distinctive, large white, turban. He is mounted on a brown, emaciated horse with a protruding tongue. The horse’s eye rolls upward, suggesting exhaustion. Mulla Do Piyazeh holds the reins in his right hand, while his left hand, masked by the large sleeve, holds a whip. A white and gray dog lies at the front feet of the horse. He was a character from a series of folk tales featuring the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) and his courtier Birbal. These legends originated at the end of Akbar’s reign and were popular through the 19th century. Most scholars believe that he is completely fictional.