Jahangir Entertains Shah Abbas from the St. Petersburg Album

Maker(s)
Artist: Attributed to Bishandas (active 1590-1640)
Borders: Muhammad Sadiq
Historical period(s)
Mughal dynasty, Reign of Jahangir, ca. 1620; borders 1746-47
Movement
Mughal Court
School
Mughal School
Medium
Opaque water color, gold and ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 25 x 18.3 cm (9 13/16 x 7 3/16 in)
Geography
India
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1942.16a
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Album
Type

Album leaf with painting

Keywords
emperor, India, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Reign of Jahangir (1605 - 1627), shah
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

This painting represents the Jahangir's imaginary entertainment of the Persian ruler Shah Abbas. The opulence displayed by Jahangir in this scene symbolizes the Emperor's desire to overwhelm his opponent with his wealth and power. Unfortunately, Jahangir's ambitions were not realized as Shah Abbas captured Qandahar from the Mughals in 1622, a few years after the execution of this painting.

In 1739 Nadir Shah of Iran attacked the Mughal capital at Delhi, seizing many of the best Mughal paintings and manuscript illustrations. These were mounted into albums prepared and decorated by the leading Persian artists of the day and eventually formed the compilation known today as the St. Petersburg album. (See F1945a, F1931.20, F1942.15a, F1942.17a, F1942.18a, F1994.4, F1996.a-b)

Published References
  • Guillermo Galindo. Sonic Biogenesis: Genomics and Mutant Jungles. Exh. cat. Boston, Massachusetts, 2021. fig. 1.
  • Amin Jaffer. Beyond Extravegance: A Royal Collection of Gems and Jewels. vols. 1-2, , 2nd ed. New York. pg. 41.
  • Yale University Press. God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth: Light in Islamic Art and Culture. Virginia. .
  • Susan Stronge. Bejewelled Treasures: The Al Thani Collection. .
  • Masters of Indian Painting. Exh. cat. Zurich. vol. 1: pp. 259-278, fig. 10.
  • Heike Franke. Akbar und Gahangir: Untersuchungen zur politischen und religiosen Legitimation in Text und Bild. Bonner Islamstudien, no. 12. pl. 23.
  • Richard Ettinghausen. Paintings of the Sultans and Emperors of India in American Collections. Lalit Kala Series of Indian Art New Delhi. pl. 13.
  • Ebba Koch. Dara-Shikoh Shooting Nilgais: Hunt and Landscape in Mughal Painting. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. p. 13, fig. 1.
  • Amin Jaffer, Martin Chapman. East Meets West: Jewels of the Maharajas from the Al Thani Collection. San Francisco. pp. 14-15, fig. 4.
  • Karine Tsoumis. Maiolica in Renaissance Venice: Ceramics and Luxury at the Crossroads. Munich, October 20, 2021. p. 16, fig. 2.
  • Marianna Shreve Simpson. L'Art Islamique: Asiae, Iran, Afgahanistan, Asia Centrale et Inde. La Grammaire des Styles Paris, 1956-1958. pp. 60-62.
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court. Exh. cat. Washington, 1981. cat. 17c, pp. 78, 170-171.
  • Mario Bussagli. Indian Miniatures. London and New York. p. 111, pl. 50.
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court., 2nd ed. Washington and Ahmedabad, India, 2012. cat. 22B, pp. 124-125.
  • Goa and the Great Mughal. Lisbon and London. p. 129.
  • Pratapaditya Pal, Frank Ames. The Arts of Kashmir. Exh. cat. New York. p. 152, fig. 161.
  • Animal-Shaped Vessels from the Ancient World: Feasting with Gods, Heroes, and Kings. Exh. cat. Cambridge, Massachusetts. p.179, figs. 1-2.
  • Thomas Lawton, Thomas W. Lentz. Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. vol. 1 Washington, 1998. p. 186, fig. 2.
  • Dr. Esin Atil, W. Thomas Chase, Paul Jett. Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art. Washington, 1985. pp. 209-210, 222, fig. 69.
  • Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th & 17th Centuries. Exh. cat. Washington, 2007. I-12, p. 240.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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