- The emperor 'Alamgir (Aurangzeb)
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The emperor 'Alamgir (Aurangzeb)
- Object:
Painting
- Place of origin:
Mughal Empire (made)
- Date:
ca. 1700 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
- Museum number:
IM.286-1913
- Gallery location:
In Storage
The Mughal prince Aurangzeb took the title Alamgir (World Seizer) when he came to power in 1658, having usurped his seriously ill father Shah Jahan. The emperor is depicted in this painting which dates from ca. 1660 as a relatively young man, richly dressed and bejewelled, and with the halo that characterised imperial figures from the reign of his grandfather, Jahangir. Later in life, his religious asceticism made him reject such opulence. The anonymous artist has shown him standing, full length, in profile against a plain pale green background, continuing a tradition in Mughal portraiture that had begun in the late 16th century. Alamgir inherited an immensely wealthy empire, but spent the second half of his extremely long reign (he died in 1707) conducting wars against the Muslim sultanates of the Deccan, in the south of the subcontinent, which though ultimately successful were won at enormous cost and weakened the empire irrevocably.
