- Title
- Bibi Farzana
- Date Made
- circa 1640-1650
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 9 5/16 x 5 1/2 in (23.6 x 14 cm); Sheet: 15 3/8 x 9 5/8 in. (39.05 x 24.45 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.72.88.4
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
The inscription to the lower left of this elegant Mughal woman identifies her as Bibi [Lady] Farzana. Also known as Farzana Begum, she was a daughter of Asaf Khan (c. 1569-1641), the Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) of Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658). She was also the sister of Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631), for whom the Taj Mahal was built as a memorial. She was married to Jafar Khan, the head of the Mughal Military Administration (Mir Bakhshi) and Joint-Prime Minister under Shah Jahan.
Bibi Farzana stands in three-quarter view with her head facing left in full profile. She wears a transparent with gold trim dress and shawl, silk pants with purple floral sprigs, a brocaded waist sash with orange tulips, and red shoes with gold floral scrolls. Her copious jewelry includes a ruby and pearl forehead ornament, necklace pendant, and armlet; a pearl and emerald earring and necklace; multiple strands of pearls, and golden bracelets inset with emeralds and rubies. She has long braided hair and henna on her fingertips. In her left hand she grasps a daffodil sprig. Her right hand is extended with the palm turned up and open in a gesture that may signify generosity. She stands against a light green background with lush flowering plants in the foreground and a blossoming shrub beside her. Beneath the orange-and-red sky and directly above her head are two bees. The portrait has been remounted with marbled inner margins and plain outer borders.
- Selected Bibliography
- Mills, Rosie Chambers. Eternal Medium: Seeing the World in Stone. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2023.
