ManuscriptsMughal17th century

Portrait of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir (painting, recto; calligraphy, verso), folio from a manuscript

17th century

Description

The recto of this folio features a full length portrait of the Mughal emperor Jahangir in profile. He wears a cream colored shirt and orange trousers. A white translucent jama (robe) covers his ensemble. It is cinched at the waist with a purple sash that has decorative gold ends with flower patterns. He wears blue slippers and a bright yellow turban that is decorated with a strand of small pearls and spinels. He wears a long pearl necklace. A large white falcon rests upon his gloved, right hand. Surrounding the emperor are various blooming flowers, including irises. The painting is set within multiple borders enclosed by a margin of blue paper decorated with gold flowers, plants, trees, and animals, such as deer, rabbits, wolves, and birds. The outermost border is made of cream-colored paper decorated with a simple patterned gold design. The verso features ten cloud-like cartouches of various sizes that contain Persian prose written in black ink and nasta‘liq script. The script is written on cream-colored paper with gold flowers and leaves. The cartouches are set against a gold gilt background. Three borders frame the gold background, from the innermost to the outermost: a thin cream-colored border with gold flowers and leaves; a thicker cream-colored border with large gold flowers and leaves; and then a thin blue border with gold flowers and leaves.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Culture

Mughal

Period

Mughal period

Century

17th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art