Shah Jahan
Cameo
ca. 1640-1650 (made)
ca. 1640-1650 (made)
| Place of origin |
This oval cameo is a profile portrait of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r.1628–1658) in middle age. The anonymous craftsman has used the natural, layered characteristics of the sardonyx skilfully so that the turban, pearls and background are carved from the creamy white layer, while the thickest layer of brown has been used for the clothes and the thin, raised oval frame. A thinner layer of brown has been used for the emperor’s face. The model for the portrait was presumably a contemporary Mughal painting, but oddities of detail (notably the stiffness of the feather) indicate that the cameo was made by a European rather than a Mughal craftsman. The European is nevertheless likely to have been in royal Mughal service.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Shah Jahan (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Sardonyx |
| Brief description | Cameo portrait of Shah Jahan by a European working at the Mughal court, ca. 1640-50 |
| Physical description | Cameo portrait made of sardonyx. The emperor faces left and wears a white turban encircled by a band of pearls. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | The cameo is probably the work of a European employed at the Mughal court as Shah Jahan is depicted with European features, and the feather plume projects stiffly from his turban at an odd angle, rather than curving downwards as seen in contemporary Mughal painting. Historical significance: Only two other cameos depicting Shah Jahan are known. One is in the Bibliotheque Nationale (see The Indian Heritage. Court Life under Mughal Rule, V&A 1982, cat. 377); the second was sold at Christie's London and is now in the collection of Sheikh Naser al-Sabah in Kuwait. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This oval cameo is a profile portrait of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r.1628–1658) in middle age. The anonymous craftsman has used the natural, layered characteristics of the sardonyx skilfully so that the turban, pearls and background are carved from the creamy white layer, while the thickest layer of brown has been used for the clothes and the thin, raised oval frame. A thinner layer of brown has been used for the emperor’s face. The model for the portrait was presumably a contemporary Mughal painting, but oddities of detail (notably the stiffness of the feather) indicate that the cameo was made by a European rather than a Mughal craftsman. The European is nevertheless likely to have been in royal Mughal service. |
| Associated object | IS.14A-1974 (Part) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.14-1974 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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