Rao Bharah and Jassa Jam thumbnail 1
Rao Bharah and Jassa Jam thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Rao Bharah and Jassa Jam

Painting
ca. 1618-1620 (made)
Artist/Maker
Bishndas (maker)
Place of origin
Mughal Empire (made)

These Mughal portraits depict two leading Gujarati landowners. The two men visited Jahangi in 1618 during the emperor's expedition to Gujarat, accompanied by his leading artists. However, they did not arrive together, and the portraits must have been copied from separate studies that were later combined into this imaginary scene of peaceful companionship. A contemporary history notes that the Jam and Baharah shared the same ancestor. The painting is ascribed in the margin to Bishndas. If reliable, this must date the painting to some time after 1620 when the artist returned from a diplomatic mission to Iran, where he had been sent by Jahangir specifically to record the liknesses of Shah 'Abbas and members his court. The finely drawn gold decoration over indigo-dyed paper of the borders is probably contemporary with the painting.

Delve deeper

Discover more about this object
read The arts of the Mughal Empire The great age of Mughal art lasted from about 1580 to 1650 and spanned the reigns of three emperors: Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Hindu and Muslim artists and craftsmen from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent worked with Iranian masters in the masculine environment of the r...

Object details

Categories
Paintings
Portraits
Bonita Trust Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project
Object type
Painting
TitleRao Bharah and Jassa Jam (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Paint
Opaque Watercolour
Paper
Gold
Painted
Brief description
Painting, portraits of Rao Bharah and Jassa Jam, ascribed to Bishndas, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, border and decoration Mughal, ca. 1618-20
Physical description
Rao Bharah, dressed in white and with a sword in his sash, kneels on a raised dais covered with a floral carpet, his face in profile looking at his companion. The dark-skinned Jassa Jam kneels with his hands also clasped respectfully in front of him. His face is depicted in three-quarter view, and he looks beyond Rao Bharah. The borders are finely painted with gold floral decoration on indigo-dyed paper. Black ink inscriptions identify the artist, Bishndas, and the individuals. The two men visited Jahangir at the Mughal encampment in Gujarat on different occasions, and their portraits must have been done as separate studies. That they were copied and combined for this imaginary scene is indicated by the discrepancy in scale between the two figures.
Dimensions
  • Page height: 389mm (maximum)
  • Page width: 263mm (maximum)
  • Image within innermost painted borders height: 228mm
  • Image within innermost painted borders width: 158mm
14/08/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project 2013
Content description
Portraits of Rai Bharo and Jassa Jam.
Style
Mughal
Credit line
Bequeathed by Lady Wantage
Object history
Part of the bequest of the Right Honourable Harriet Sarah Baroness Wantage, of Locking House, Wantage Berks, widow of the first and last Baron Wantage, V.C., K.C.B., V.D.

R.P. 1920-8342, 1920-5869, 1921-3081, 1921-177
Subjects depicted
Landowners
Landscape
Tree
Carpet
Summary
These Mughal portraits depict two leading Gujarati landowners. The two men visited Jahangi in 1618 during the emperor's expedition to Gujarat, accompanied by his leading artists. However, they did not arrive together, and the portraits must have been copied from separate studies that were later combined into this imaginary scene of peaceful companionship. A contemporary history notes that the Jam and Baharah shared the same ancestor. The painting is ascribed in the margin to Bishndas. If reliable, this must date the painting to some time after 1620 when the artist returned from a diplomatic mission to Iran, where he had been sent by Jahangir specifically to record the liknesses of Shah 'Abbas and members his court. The finely drawn gold decoration over indigo-dyed paper of the borders is probably contemporary with the painting.
Bibliographic references
  • STRONGE, Susan. Painting for the Mughal Emperor: The Art of the Book 1560 – 1660 London : V&A Publications, 2002. 192p, ill. ISBN 1 85177 358 4. p. 140, pl. 107 Stuart Cary Welch, The Art of Mughal India. Painting and precious objects, Asia Society New York, 1964, cat 34, colour illus and comments pp 73-4 Roda Ahluwalia, ‘A Noteworthy Ustad in the Imperial Mughal Kitabkhane of Akbar and Jahangir’, in Roda Ahluwalia, ed. Reflections on Mughal Art & Culture, Niyogi Books/The K.R. Cama Oriental Institute, Mumbai, 2021. See fig. 12, p. 76 (cropped image).
  • In the image of man : the Indian perception of the universe through 2000 years of painting and sculpture : [exhibition / organized by Catherine Lampert assisted by Rosalie Cass]. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson :in association with the Arts Council of Great Britain, 1982 Number: 0297780719, 0297781243 (pbk.) p. 148, cat. no. 192
  • The Indian Portrait: 1560-1860 London: National Portrait Gallery, 2010 Number: 978 1 85514 409 5 p. 88, cat. no. 20, and p. 171, fig. 2. detail.
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IM.124-1921

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O405718/rao-bharah-and-jassa-jam-painting-bishndas/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest