PAYAG An Incident in the Siege of Qandahar, Mughal, 1971

This rare first-printing exhibition poster features a richly detailed composition by the artist Payag, created for the landmark traveling exhibition “…a flower from every meadow…” presented in 1973 at the Asia House Gallery, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and the Center of Asian Art and Culture.

The image reproduces a highly intricate historical scene rendered in the refined miniature-painting tradition associated with Mughal and Persian court art. Dense with narrative detail, the composition unfolds across a layered landscape populated by soldiers, elephants, banners, and ceremonial figures engaged in a dramatic military procession or battle. At the summit of the hill, smoke and fire rise into the sky, adding both theatrical intensity and symbolic resonance to the scene.

The extraordinary precision of the imagery—meticulous patterning, jewel-like color, and complex spatial arrangement—reflects the sophistication of South Asian miniature painting traditions, where narrative, ornament, and symbolism merge seamlessly. The scene invites prolonged viewing, revealing countless details within the architecture, costume, vegetation, and movement of figures throughout the composition.

Beneath the image appears the poetic quotation attributed to Abu’l Fazl: “…a flower from every meadow…”—a phrase that beautifully encapsulates the exhibition’s broader celebration of the diversity and richness of Asian artistic traditions. The understated typography and muted olive background provide an elegant frame for the luminous historical image above.

Printed in the pre-digital poster era, this piece possesses the rich tonal depth and refined color reproduction characteristic of high-quality museum posters of the early 1970s. As both exhibition ephemera and decorative artwork, it stands as an evocative document of a period when major American institutions increasingly introduced Asian art traditions to wider audiences.

A sophisticated and historically engaging poster, ideal for collectors of Asian art, museum exhibition graphics, and rare cultural ephemera from the 1970s.

Framing available upon request.