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Collections

Attributed to Bichitr
Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658) (verso), Calligraphy (recto), Folio from the Late Shah Jahan Albumcirca 1635 (border: circa 1650) (verso); Iran, circa 1505-1545 (border: India, Mughal Empire, circa 1650) (recto)

Not on view
Mughal-style opaque watercolor portrait of a standing nobleman with halo, surrounded by a gold floral border with small attendant figures and birds
Illuminated manuscript page with a central text panel of Persian calligraphy in nasta'liq script, set against a densely gilded ground with polychrome floral scrollwork. The wide border is decorated with naturalistic flowering vines, birds, deer, and rabbits scattered across a warm gold background.
Artist or Maker
Attributed to Bichitr
India, active circa 1610-circa 1660
Artist or Maker
Possibly by Mir Ali
(Herat or Bukhara, active late 15th to first half of 16th century)
Title
Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658) (verso), Calligraphy (recto), Folio from the Late Shah Jahan Album
Place Made
India, Mughal Empire (verso); Iran (recto)
Date Made
circa 1635 (border: circa 1650) (verso); Iran, circa 1505-1545 (border: India, Mughal Empire, circa 1650) (recto)
Medium
Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 14 1/2 x 10 in. (36.83 x 25.4 cm); Image (recto): 7 3/4 x 4 in. (19.69 x 10.16 cm); Image (verso): 8 x 4 7/8 in. (20.32 x 12.38 cm)
Credit Line
From the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase
Accession Number
M.78.9.15
Classification
Drawings
Collecting Area
South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes

Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658) was born in 1592. His birth name was Shihab al-Din Muhammad Khurram. He was the third son of Emperor Jahangir (r. 1605-27). Prince Khurram achieved great military success while campaigning for his father, including against the Rajputs of Mewar in 1615, for which he was awarded the title Shah Sultan Khurram; and against the Lodis of the Deccan in 1617, for which he was awarded the title Shah Jahan. During his relatively tranquil reign, the imperial ateliers produced many works of luxurious quality. Paintings commissioned by Shah Jahan tend to be more decorative and formal than those of his predecessors and include numerous exalting portraits of the emperor. This folio is from the Late Shah Jahan Album, which was assembled in circa 1650-1658 and features exquisite figural and arabesque borders made in circa 1640-1650.

The nimbate Shah Jahan holds a bejeweled aigrette. He wears an orange-and-gold turban with a feather plume (jigha), a transparent long coat (jama), gold pants with iris sprays, a brocaded waist sash, and brocaded shoes. Around his neck are strands of pearls, emeralds, and spinels, with a ruby and emerald pendant. He wears a ruby and pearl armlet and matching bracelet, several gems-set rings, and an archer’s thumb ring (zihgir; see AC1995.168.1). A push dagger (katar; see M.74.101a-b) is tucked into his jeweled belt. His sword (talwar) with a Shah Jahan-style hilt hangs from a brocaded sword belt.

See also M.83.1.3 and M.83.105.21.

Selected Bibliography
  • Markel, Stephen. Mughal and Early Modern Metalware from South Asia at LACMA: An Online Scholarly Catalogue. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2020. https://archive.org/details/mughal-metalware (accessed September 7, 2021).