EN
♡
Illustrated portrait of Defne Akın
Specialist

Defne Akın

Defne Akın writes for the Miniature Painting department at Matchless Pieces, covering the history, makers and collecting of miniature painting.

1,015Articles
defne.akin@matchlesspieces.com
The pious man’s son, now a king, reveals himself to his father; his nurse upbraids his unfaithful mother, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-second Night — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

The pious man’s son, now a king, reveals himself to his father; his nurse upbraids his unfaithful mother, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-second Night

October 10, 2026The daughter-in-law of the king of Banaras sees the jackal deprived of its food by a bird, as it unsuccessfully attempts to catch a fish, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixteenth Night — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

The daughter-in-law of the king of Banaras sees the jackal deprived of its food by a bird, as it unsuccessfully attempts to catch a fish, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixteenth Night

October 10, 2026Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Kings of Hells: Leaf 34 — China, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)

Album of Daoist and Buddhist Themes: Kings of Hells: Leaf 34

October 10, 2026Hanuman spies Sita in the Ashoka Grove, from the “Shangri” Ramayana — Anonymous, Himachal Pradesh

Hanuman spies Sita in the Ashoka Grove, from the “Shangri” Ramayana

October 10, 2026A Disconsolate Lady on a Terrace with Attendants — Anonymous, Rajput Kingdom of Raghogarh

A Disconsolate Lady on a Terrace with Attendants

October 10, 2026The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the forty-third night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot) — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the forty-third night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)

October 10, 2026Album of Miscellaneous Subjects — Osman Hamdi Bey

Album of Miscellaneous Subjects

October 10, 2026Isfandiyar slays Arjasp, the king of Turan, from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020) — Haidar Kashmiri

Isfandiyar slays Arjasp, the king of Turan, from a Shah-nama (Book of Kings) of Firdausi (Persian, about 934–1020)

October 10, 2026Raja Hari Sen of Mandi — Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Raja Hari Sen of Mandi

October 10, 2026The king dreams of a lady, the personification of wealth, departing from him on account of his purchasing a bowl and a staff from a yogi, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-sixth Night — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

The king dreams of a lady, the personification of wealth, departing from him on account of his purchasing a bowl and a staff from a yogi, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-sixth Night

October 10, 2026

The Matchless Letter

Sale previews, new discoveries in illumination and miniature, and private-room invitations.