Royal family portrait, of an Emperor, sitting in haloed profile upon a gold-footed throne under a high white canopy in an outdoor landscape, accepts a jewelled gift from his father-in-law. At his right are his three eldest sons. A large gold boarder surrounds the painting, featuring floral decoration.
AKM124, Portrait of Emperor Shah Jahan, his three sons, and Asaf Khan

© The Aga Khan Museum

Five lines of large calligraphy, surrounded by gold with a small floral pattern, two illuminated designs inside pink boxes and a row of script written diagonally at the bottom of the page, contained inside a green boarder with gold floral, set on a larger page.
AKM124, Portrait of Emperor Shah Jahan, his three sons, and Asaf Khan, Back

© The Aga Khan Museum

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Portrait of Emperor Shah Jahan, his three sons, and Asaf Khan
  • Accession Number:AKM124
  • Creator:signed “The insignificant palace-born Manohar”
  • Place:India
  • Dimensions:35.5 x 24.3 cm
  • Date:ca.1628-40
  • Materials and Technique:opaque watercolour, ink, and gold on paper
  • In this royal family portrait, Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58), sitting in haloed profile upon a gold-footed throne under a high white canopy, accepts a jewelled gift from his father-in-law, Asaf Khan. At his right are his three eldest sons—Dara Shikoh (1615–59), Shah Shuja (1616–59), and the ill-fated Awrangzeb (r. 1618–1707), whose death effectively marked the end of the great Mughal Empire. All figures are resplendent in turbans decorated with jewels, pearl necklaces, different types of daggers (khilanum, katar, and kard), lavishly embroidered sashes, and gilded swords. An illuminated carpet lies underfoot.

Further Reading

 

The portrait is a masterful act of recycling: its inscription reveals that it was originally a group portrait featuring Shah Jahan’s father, Jahangir, and his sons. It was usual practice in Mughal India to refurbish earlier works for the purpose of imperial propaganda.

 

— Filiz Çakır Phillip


References
Canby, Sheila. Princes, Poets & Paladins: Islamic and Indian Paintings from the Collection of Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan. London: Trustees of the British Museum, 1998. ISBN: 9780714114835
Welch, Anthony, and Stuart Cary Welch. Arts of the Islamic Book: The Collection of Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1982. ISBN: 9780801498824

Note: This online resource is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. We are committed to improving this information and will revise and update knowledge about this object as it becomes available.

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