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Shah Jahan holding an emerald

Painting
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.

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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
Object type
TitleShah 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
  • Folio height: 23.2cm
  • Painting width: 19.2cm
  • Page height: 36.9cm
  • Page width: 23.2cm
  • Portrait height: 21.4cm (Note: dimensions excluding narrow borders framing green-ground portrait)
  • Portrait width: 9.5cm (Note: dimensions excluding narrow borders framing green-ground portrait)
Half Imperial Mount (Portrait)
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
  • (Signature in Persian beneath Shah Jahan's feet; gold metallic pigment; 1628-1629 Dated 'saneh ahad', or year one (14 February 1628-25 January 1629) [reading by Saqeb Baburi, 2002])
    Translation
    'painted by Muhammad Abed, son of Aqa Reza and brother of Nader al-Zaman... year one...[it] reached completion in year one in the heaven-like gathering''
    Transliteration
    'raqam-e muhammad 'Abid, valad-e Aqa Reza va baradar-e Nader al-Zaman...saneh ahad ... dar majlis-e behesht a'in be-itmam rasid'
  • (Signature; Persian; Upper left border, beneath first complete plant from top/, and upper right border, beneath second complete plant from top; gold metallic pigment)
    Translation
    [signature of illuminator]
    Transliteration
    'Harif'
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
  • Susan Stronge, Painting for the Mughal Emperor. The Art of the Book 1560-1660, V&A Publications, 2002, pl. 114 and pp. 149-153 where the signature of the illuminator was first noted. Ekaterina Schcherbina, ed., India: Jewels That Enchanted the World. Moscow Kremlin Museums, 2014, cat. 45 p. 121
  • The Jewels of India: Marg, 1995 Number: ISBN 81-85026-30-0 p. 110, cat. no. 8, Susan Stronge
Collection
Accession number
IM.233-1921

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Record createdFebruary 10, 2004
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