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Album page - The three sons of Shah Jahan

The three sons of Shah Jahan

  • Object:

    Album page

  • Place of origin:

    India (made)

  • Date:

    ca. 1635 (painted)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Balchand (painter (artist))

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Watercolour and gold on paper

  • Museum number:

    IM.13-1925

  • Gallery location:

    South Asia, room 41, case V

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This painting depicts the sons of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). They are identified in Persian inscriptions in the border beneath, explaining that these are the likenesses of Shah Shuja' Bahadur (furthest away), Aurangzeb Bahadur and Murad Bakhsh (in the foreground), and that it is the work of the artist Balchand. The painting has the floral borders characteristic of the albums of Shah Jahan which contained folios with paintings on one side and specimens of fine calligraphy on the other.
The folio is from a group of paintings acquired at auction in 1925 where they were sold as "The Minto Album" and subsequently divided between the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin and the V&A.

Physical description

The three younger sons of Shah Jahan are shown riding horses in a landscape. The painting is mounted on a page with flowering plants filling the borders at top, bottom and sides.

Place of Origin

India (made)

Date

ca. 1635 (painted)

Artist/maker

Balchand (painter (artist))

Materials and Techniques

Watercolour and gold on paper

Marks and inscriptions

shabih-e shah shuja' bahadur va awrangzeb bahadur va murad bakhsh amal-e balchand Likenesses of Shah Shuja' Bahadur and Awrangzeb Bahadur and Murad Bakhsh the work of Balchand

Dimensions

Height: 23.8 cm painting, Width: 16.9 cm painting, Height: 38.8 cm page, Width: 26.5 cm page

Object history note

The folio is from a group of paintings acquired at auction in 1925 where they were sold as "The Minto Album" and subsequently divided between the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin and the V&A.

Descriptive line

Minto album, the sons of Shah Jahan

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Susan Stronge, Painting for the Mughal Emperor. The art of the book in India 1560-1650, V&A Publications, 2002, pl. 17, p. 155
The Indian Heritage; Court Life and Arts under Mughal Rule: V&A publication, 1982, ISBN 0906969263, p.37, no.42. (Robert Skelton)

Subjects depicted

Flowers; Landscapes; Costume; Trees; Horse; Aurangzeb; Shah Shuja; Murad Bakhsh

Categories

Paintings

Collection code

SSEA

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Qr_O17893
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