en
- de
- en
The Painted Cat
Most domestic cat appearances in the Museum for Islamic Art’s collection occur in painted form. This section offers insights into diverse manifestations of the cat on paper and canvas. In all the works presented here, the cat’s subtle presence conveys quirks of everyday life, suggesting a quiet appreciation in courtly visual culture where humans and animals interacted closely.
Most of the examples presented in this gallery appear as subtle elements of broader compositions on paper, which in turn used to be bound in an album (muraqqaʿ). Used to collect and display calligraphy, paintings, and other artworks on paper, such albums emerged from Timurid artistic contexts and were particularly popular in Mughal India, Safavid Iran, and the Ottoman Empire. They were often assembled for elite patrons and brought together works by different artists, sometimes from various regions and time periods, mounted on elaborately decorated folios. Valued both for their aesthetic appeal and as symbols of cultural sophistication, muraqqa's provide valuable insights into artistic practices, collecting habits, and the circulation of images in the early modern period.
The examples from the Museum for Islamic Art’s collection displayed in this gallery mostly feature material from Mughal India. For further examples of cats in Indian paintings, see Goswamy, 2023, pp. 64-179.
A painting from a Polier-Album
This painting shows a humorous scene of opium and bhang addicts fighting, while a clever cat uses the upheaval to quickly steal a bird. The scene is identified as such by the handwriting in French along the bottom edge.
The album of which this folio formerly formed part originated in late eighteenth-century northern India, where Swiss officer Antoine-Louis-Henri Polier (1741-1795) commissioned several muraqqa's. Polier worked in the service of the British East India Company, and later in the service of the Nawab of Awadh and at the Mughal imperial court. During his postings in Faizabad, Lucknow, and Delhi, Polier acquired and commissioned a wide range of Mughal paintings and calligraphies, many produced in his own atelier under the supervision of the artist Mihr Chand. Upon his return to Europe, Polier sold several albums to the English collector William Beckford, some of which were subsequently purchased by the Berlin Royal Museums (specifically the Kupferstichkabinett) in 1882.
I. 4593, f. 7, Gouache, ink, and gold on paper. North India, from an album assembled in the 18th century. Album dimensions ca. 42.3 x 27 cm. Museum for Islamic Art, Berlin State Museums
Current Research
Research led by art historian Dr Friederike Weis has provided new insights into the creation, circulation and afterlife of these albums in both South Asian and European collection contexts. Dr Weis presented some of the results of the project in an interview in 2023 (in German). Dr Weis also edited an anthology on 18th century albums in 2024, which was published here in open access format.
You can find more information regarding this specific album in the Qalamos database:
Two paintings from the Swinton-Albums
I. 4589, f. 1, Ink and gold on paper. North India, from an album assembled in the 18th century. Album dimensions ca. 36.2 x 26.2 cm. Museum for Islamic Art, Berlin State Museums
Like Antoine Polier, Archibald Swinton (1731-1804), a Scottish surgeon and translator, also had artistically designed albums made during his stay in Mughal India. Swinton served in the British East India Company in Bengal and Kolkata and, like Polier, became an active collector and commissioner of paintings and calligraphies.
This drawing from one of the so-called Swinton albums shows a woman and her companion resting in a lush garden setting. A cat appears at the lower edge of the picture - perhaps attracted by the rich arrangement of food and drink. To its left, another, smaller cat-like creature approaches.
The Swinton albums now preserved in Berlin were also purchased from the estate of William Beckford. Additional information can be found in: Losty et al, 2024.
You can find more information regarding this specific album in the Qalamos database:
I. 4590, f. 16, Gouache, ink, and gold on paper. North India, from an album assembled in the 18th century. Album dimensions ca. 34.8 x 23.3 cm. Museum for Islamic Art, Berlin State Museums
This painting shows several male figures in a teaching context. In the centre, a dominant figure sits on a raised platform with a book in his hand and a raised index finger. It is presumably a scene of religious instruction, for example in the context of Islamic education.
Four cats rest at the teacher's feet - peaceful, undisturbed, naturally present. Their presence refers to a long tradition: in Islam, cats are considered pure and respected animals that are also welcome in prayer rooms.
Farwah Rizvi, Storytelling Assistant at the Museum for Islamic Art, writes:
Cats as Quiet Companions
by Farwah Rizvi
When I think about cats in religious spaces, I remember this one particular cat while visiting a mosque in the district of Islamic Cairo in September 2024. It was a hot evening, and she was stretched out on the cool marble floor in the courtyard of the Al-Hakim Mosque on Al-Muizz Street, perfectly at ease as worshippers moved around her. It was shortly after the Maghrib prayers, and people were slowly trickling out. No one shooed her away. No one seemed surprised. She belonged.
In many Muslim societies, cats are part of the everyday fabric of life. You’ll see them sunning themselves on marble steps in Istanbul, nestled into the corners of market stalls in Fez, or slipping silently through courtyards in Tehran. Often, they don’t belong to anyone in particular, not in the sense we perceive pets, yet they’re fed, cared for, and allowed to simply exist among people.
In Islamic tradition, there is a great emphasis on compassion towards animals. Cats in particular have a special position, as they are regarded as ritually clean, which means they’re permitted even in places of prayer. That alone speaks volumes. In spaces where people remove their shoes and perform ablution before entering, the presence of a cat feels entirely natural.
There’s a well-known story about the Prophet Muhammad and his cat often referred to in many stories as ‘Muezza’. One day, as he prepared to stand for prayer, he found her asleep on the sleeve of his robe. Rather than disturb her, he carefully cut the fabric and rose, letting her rest. While this story isn’t found in the canonical Hadith collections, it continues to be passed down through generations and is used as an example of compassion and kindness towards animals.
You can still feel that spirit today. In the way someone pauses before stepping over a dozing cat. In the bowl of water left in the shade. In the unspoken welcome that lets them stay.
You can find more information regarding this specific album in the Qalamos database:
Two works from the former collection of Friedrich Sarre
The Madonna with child - and cat
I. 1986.185, Gouache, ink, and gold on paper. Probably North India, around 1600, from an album possibly assembled at a later date. Dimensions of the folio: 24 x 16.2 cm. Dimensions of the drawing: 12.4 x 8 cm. Museum for Islamic Art, Berlin State Museums
This painting shows the Madonna and Child accompanied by a wet nurse - and a cat. The work once belonged to the private collection of Friedrich Sarre, the first director of the Museum for Islamic Art. Sarre surmised that the style of the 16th century Flemish painter Frans Floris could have served as a model for this Mughal interpretation (Sarre, 1919, p. 263).
The art historian B. N. Goswamy points out that cats appear surprisingly frequently in Mughal depictions of European biblical scenes - even where the European original did not include a cat. In the Indian version, however, the cat is found: quietly beside the Madonna, observing, as part of domestic rituals. Why? Goswamy poses questions: if cats were perceived as significant by the artists, why do they appear so rarely as a central motif? And if they were not part of the courtly household, where did the painters encounter them?
He offers possible explanations: Perhaps the artists deliberately adapted the scene to bring it closer to familiar, everyday experiences. Or they encountered cats in Christian monasteries - for example in Agra, Lahore or Goa - while studying European engravings and prints. The exact answer remains unclear.
European cats in biblical scenes - a folio by Rembrandt
There are indeed European works in which cats are depicted in biblical scenes. One example can be found in the collection of the Kupferstichkabinett of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: an etching on paper by the Dutch artist Rembrandt (1606-1669) shows the Holy Family with a snake and a cat (inv. no. 118-16).
The folio with the Madonna, child, and cat may once have formed part of the so-called Salīm Album - a collection that was presumably compiled for the Mughal prince Salīm, who later reigned as Emperor Jahāngīr. Many of the paintings in this album draw on iconography from various religious traditions. Today, the folios are scattered around the world; the largest surviving group is in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin. The painting from the Museum for Islamic Art may have existed before its inclusion in Salim's album. It was reframed at an unknown date - possibly when it was separated from the original album. Nevertheless, there are remnants of a geometric gold medallion border on light-coloured paper on one inner edge of the folio - a typical feature of the Salīm album group, which could indicate the origin of the folio.
Further information on the Salīm album: Wright, 2008, pp. 55-67.
The Lady in the Pavilion - with a white cat
I. 1986.187, Ink and gold on paper, some areas partially covered by opaque gouache or colour wash. Probably India, early 17th century. Dimensions of the folio: 27.5 x 21 cm. Dimensions of the drawing: 17.8 x 16 cm. Museum for Islamic Art, Berlin State Museums
A lady sits in a pavilion surrounded by four servants. Beyond a wall is a garden with trees and flowering plants. In the foreground, a white cat has interrupted her walk. With its head turned back, it appears to be gazing curiously at the objects brought to it by a servant - a quiet moment of attention. The scene is framed by a blue border with decorative gold painting. Remnants of other gold decorations are still recognisable.
Note on the Sarre Collection
This painting and the Madonna folio shown above come from the private collection of Friedrich Sarre (1865-1945), the museum's first director. Sarre travelled through West and Central Asia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and built up an extensive collection, most of which he donated to the museum.
Unfortunately, his home and archive were badly damaged during the Second World War. Diaries, acquisition documents and notes were largely lost - along with much information about the original creation, use and collection history of these works.
Like many paintings from this period, these folios probably originate from previously bound albums.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, such muraqqaʿ (albums) were often dismantled on the art market: Individual folios were cut out, reframed, or the front and back pages were sold separately. These works also appear to have suffered such a fate.
A folio from the dispersed Muraqqaʿ-i Jahāngīrī (Jahāngīr-Album)
Mother cat in the Jahāngīr album
Libri picturati A 117, f. 6v, Gouache, ink, and gold on paper. Mughal India, probably early 17th century. The folios of this album measure approximately 42.2 × 26.5 cm. Berlin State Library
This folio from the so-called Jahāngīr album shows a mother cat with five kittens curled up in the lower left quarter of the central painting. Also depicted are a Hindu ascetic (top left), a pilgrim with a dog (top right) and a group of ascetics under a tree (bottom right). In older descriptions, the animals were also interpreted as lynxes (Kühnel and Goetz, 1924, p. 3).
Although cats are hardly ever explicitly mentioned in the memoirs and chronicles of the Mughal emperors, they certainly appear in courtly paintings - often as silent companions in everyday life. Their depiction reflects their proximity to courtly life, even if written sources barely record them.
The depiction of the cat family in close proximity to ascetic figures could address certain themes: Domesticity, community, modesty or spiritual silence. Such constellations are reminiscent of animal depictions in Christian iconography, for example in scenes with saints and their animal companions.
The album was commissioned during the reign of the fourth Mughal emperor Jahāngīr (r. 1605-1627). It bears witness to the cosmopolitan taste of the imperial atelier and combines elements of Persian, Rajput, Deccan and European pictorial traditions. In addition to calligraphy and illuminations, it contains meticulous studies of flora and fauna, courtly portraits and narrative scenes.
The 25 folios of the album preserved in Berlin have been fully digitised and are accessible online. They were acquired in 1860-61 by the German Egyptologist Heinrich Karl Brugsch during a diplomatic trip to Iran and offered for sale to the Royal Art Library (predecessor of today's Staatsbibliothek). The album had previously travelled from India to Tehran after the sacking of Delhi by Nādir Shāh in 1739 - the founder of the Afsharid dynasty (cf. Rauch, 2022, pp. 120-121).
A folio from a dispersed Majmūʿa al-Tawārīkh manuscript
Rustam with a cat's helmet
I. 7016, Gouache, ink, and gold on paper. 11 lines to the page plus a title, written in naskh script. Ruled in blue and red ink. Probably Herāt, 1520s. Dimensions of the folio: 42 x 32 cm. Dimensions of the painting: 22.5 x 25 cm. Museum for Islamic Art, Berlin State Museums
This painting is positioned above a text block in Persian Naskh script and shows the legendary figure of Rustam enthroned in the centre between four nobly dressed figures. Rustam is a hero of the Persian national epic Šāhnāme (Book of Kings) by Ferdowsī, known for his superhuman strength, bravery and divinely inspired destiny.
Particularly striking is Rustam's helmet, which resembles an animal's head - with ears, fangs and implied whiskers. In many illustrations, this motif is associated with a tiger, symbolising courage and strength. However, some researchers suspect that iconographically it is more likely to be a leopard skin: The dotted pattern, combined with the regional distribution of leopards in Iran, supports this interpretation. Regardless of the exact animal species, this ‘cat helmet’ developed into an unmistakable visual symbol of Rustam's heroic identity.
The composition is characterised by broad areas of colour and a clear structure. Bold accents draw the eye to Rustam's white headdress, which stands out clearly from the rest of the picture. In contrast, the facial features of the other figures appear rather schematic - typical of many courtly paintings of the time.
This folio belongs to a renowned edition of the Majmūʿa al-Tawārīkh (collection of histories) by Ḥāfiẓ-i Abrū, which is scattered today. The manuscript bears the library seal of the Timurid ruler Šāhrukh (r. 1405-1447), which indicates that it was produced under his patronage in Herāt (cf. Canby, 1998, p. 28). The Majmūʿa is based on the comprehensive universal history of Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh by Rašīd al-Dīn and aims to legitimise Shāhrukh's rule through genealogical and cultural continuity. This history was written about a century earlier for the Mongol ruler Ghāzān (cf. Folsach, 2001, pp. 45-47 and fig. 29).
This folio was acquired by the Galerie Georges Tabbagh in Paris in 1943 and was previously owned by his brother Émile Tabbagh. Another folio from this manuscript was last auctioned at Sotheby's in April 2025.
The Cat and the Acrobat
G 280 355, Oil on canvas. Iran, 19th century. Unknown artist. Dimensions: 178.5 cm x 94.5 cm. Art Library
This large-format painting shows a female acrobat in an elaborate pose: wearing an elegant costume, she performs a handstand in a magnificent interior. The soles of her feet, coloured with henna, are clearly visible.
She is surrounded by flower arrangements, fruit and glass vessels - a scene between domestic tranquillity and surreal staging. In the lower left-hand corner of the picture, a small but impressive figure makes its presence felt: a white cat gazing calmly and attentively into the room (and towards the viewer).
Strikingly - unlike all the other objects – the cat does not appear to be attached to the floor. It has been painted atop a carpet, which seems to hang vertically like a tapestry or rest on the floor in flattened perspective. Either way, this positioning lends the cat an almost floating appearance. This calm, focussed presence forms a contrast to the dynamic inversion of the acrobat and lends the scene a quietly surrealistic tension. White cats can also be found in other works from this period and appear to have been popular companions.
Large-scale portraits in oil painting technique, such as this one, were a cherished art form under the Zand (1751-1794) and Qajar (1789-1925) dynasties. A fusion of Persian aesthetics and European technical influences, these paintings often depicted figures from courtly society. Characteristic features are stylised facial features, a partly flattened perspective, richly decorated robes textiles and a particular focus on jewellery - especially under the patronage of Fatḥ ʿAlī Shāh, the Qajar dynasty’s second ruler.
Back to the cat exhibition overview page
The Cat Exhibition
Cats have a long and complex history of interaction with humans. Bringing together a captivating selection of objects from the collections of the Berlin State Museums, this online exhibition proposes a thematic, experimental lens of inquiry – the figure of the cat.
