Shah Jahan holding an emerald
Painting
1628-1629 (made)
1628-1629 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This portrait of Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658) is signed by the court artist Muhammad Abed, who adds in his Persian inscription that he is the son of Aqa Reza (an Iranian artist who came to the Mughal court in the late 16th century) and brother of Nader al-Zaman ('Wonder of the Age'), a title given to one of the most important of all Mughal artists, Abu'l Hasan. The portrait depicts Shah Jahan, a renowned connoisseur of precious stones, wearing necklaces, bracelets, armlets and turban jewels made of very large pearls, spinels and emeralds. He holds a huge, facetted emerald in his left hand. The artist has signed his name and family connections in minute gold script beneath Shah Jahan's feet, with the addition that the painting was completed in the first (regnal) year, corresponding to 14 February 1628-25 January 1629.
The border of gold flowers on an indigo ground is signed in gold in two places (top left and top right) by the gilder, Harif, about whom nothing is known, though a few examples of his signed work exist on the borders of other album pages done for Shah Jahan, notably some of the 'Kevorkian' album in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. The writing is minuscule, and almost completely concealed within the foliage.
The border of gold flowers on an indigo ground is signed in gold in two places (top left and top right) by the gilder, Harif, about whom nothing is known, though a few examples of his signed work exist on the borders of other album pages done for Shah Jahan, notably some of the 'Kevorkian' album in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. The writing is minuscule, and almost completely concealed within the foliage.
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Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Shah Jahan holding an emerald (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
Brief description | Portrait of Shah Jahan by Muhammad 'Abed, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, dated regnal year one Dated 'saneh ahad', or year one (14 February 1628-25 January 1629) |
Physical description | Shah Jahan stands facing right, his head in profile and surrounded by a golden halo, against a solid pale green ground. He wears an orange turban, brownish-pink trousers, and a translucent white muslin jama (robe). He is heavily bejewelled and holds a large, facetted emerald surrounded by pearls in his left hand and the hilt of his sword in his right hand. The portrait is mounted onto an album page of contemporary date, decorated with gold flowering plants on an indigo ground. The signature of the artist, Muhammad Abed, is in gold beneath Shah Jahan's feet; the signature of the illuminator of the borders, Harif, is repeated twice, hidden amongst the gold designs. The album page has been cut down from its original size, as shown by the truncated plants at the edges. |
Dimensions |
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Content description | Shah Jahan stands facing right, his head in profile and surrounded by a golden halo, against a solid pistachio green ground. He wears an orange turban, brownish-pink trousers, and a 5ranslucent white muslin jama (robe). He is heavily bejewelled and holds a large, facetted emerald surrounded by pearls in his left hand and the hilt of his sword in his right hand. The portrait is mounted onto an album page of probably contemporary date, decorated with gold flowering plants on an indigo ground. The signature of the artist, Muhammad Abed, is in gold beneath Shah Jahan's feet; the signature of the illuminator, Harif, is repeated twice, hidden amongst the gold designs. The album page has been cut down from its original size, as shown by the truncated plants at the edges. |
Style | |
Marks and inscriptions |
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Credit line | Given by Sir Robert Nathan, K.C.S.I., C.I.E |
Object history | From the collection of Sir Robert Nathan (1868-1921), purchased from Maulvi Muhammad Hussain, Judge, Small Claims Court, Delhi. Sir Robert Nathan was Private Secretary to the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, in 1905; became Chief Secretary to the Government of East Bengal and Assam in 1907, and was Police Commissioner of Dhaka before leaving India in 1914. Given by Sir Robert Nathan, K.C.S.I., C.I.E. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project. R.P. 1921-4451 |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This portrait of Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658) is signed by the court artist Muhammad Abed, who adds in his Persian inscription that he is the son of Aqa Reza (an Iranian artist who came to the Mughal court in the late 16th century) and brother of Nader al-Zaman ('Wonder of the Age'), a title given to one of the most important of all Mughal artists, Abu'l Hasan. The portrait depicts Shah Jahan, a renowned connoisseur of precious stones, wearing necklaces, bracelets, armlets and turban jewels made of very large pearls, spinels and emeralds. He holds a huge, facetted emerald in his left hand. The artist has signed his name and family connections in minute gold script beneath Shah Jahan's feet, with the addition that the painting was completed in the first (regnal) year, corresponding to 14 February 1628-25 January 1629. The border of gold flowers on an indigo ground is signed in gold in two places (top left and top right) by the gilder, Harif, about whom nothing is known, though a few examples of his signed work exist on the borders of other album pages done for Shah Jahan, notably some of the 'Kevorkian' album in the Metropolitan Museum, New York. The writing is minuscule, and almost completely concealed within the foliage. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | IM.233-1921 |
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Record created | February 10, 2004 |
Record URL |
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