Shah Jahan enthroned with Mahabat Khan and a Shaykh, from the late Shah Jahan Album

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Padishahnama (the history of the first decade of Shah-Jahan’s reign); Shah Jahan enthroned with Mahabat Khan and Shaykh; inscribed to Abid, brother of Nadiruzzaman of Mashhad; dated.
Border: The painting is set in gold and black rulings followed by an inner frame of gold floral scroll and adorned with flowers in the margins, mounted on colored paperboard.

Maker(s)
Artist: 'Abid (India, active 1604-1645)
Historical period(s)
Mughal dynasty, Reign of Shah Jahan, 1629-1630
Movement
Mughal Court
School
Mughal School
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper, mounted on board
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 37 x 25.2 cm (14 9/16 x 9 15/16 in)
Geography
India
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.406
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
halo, Henri Vever collection, holy man, India, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Reign of Shah Jahan (1628 - 1658), Sufi, throne
Provenance

From at least 1910
Georges Demotte (1877-1923), Paris, from at least 1910 [1]

To 1942
Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France, to 1942 [2]

From 1942 to 1986
Family member, Paris and Boulogne, France, by inheritance from Henri Vever, Paris and Noyers, France [3]

From 1986
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from a family member, Paris and Boulogne, France [4]

Notes:

[1] The object is documented as having appeared in the collection of Georges Demotte by at least January 1910. See Susan Nemazee, "Appendix 7: Chart of Recent Provenance" in An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection, Glenn D. Lowry et al (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 410.

[2] See Glenn D. Lowry et al., An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), pp. 284-285, no. 336.

[3] See the Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection of January 9, 1986, Collections Management Office.

[4] See note 3.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Henri Vever 1854-1942
Georges Demotte 1877-1923
Francois Mautin 1907-2003

Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Padishahnama (the history of the first decade of Shah-Jahan's reign); Shah Jahan enthroned with Mahabat Khan and Shaykh; inscribed to Abid, brother of Nadiruzzaman of Mashhad; dated.
Border: The painting is set in gold and black rulings followed by an inner frame of gold floral scroll and adorned with flowers in the margins, mounted on colored paperboard.

Inscription(s)

Below footstool, Ragam-i 'abed brathar-i Nadirzzaman-i Mashhadi dar seneh [2] be etmam resid."
"By Abid, brother of Nadiruzzaman of Mashhad, completed in the year II [A.H. Shahjahani, A.D. 1629-30]."
On shield to right, Shabih-i Seyyed Muzaffar Khan.
"Likeness of Seyyed Muzaffar Khan."

Marking(s)

stamps: Round HV no. 24; Douanes Expos Paris; Le Haye 1927.

Label

Shahjahan, the fifth Mughal emperor (reigned 1628-58) is shown attended by the nobility in a ceremony to appoint Mahabat Khan (died, 1634; left of the emperor) to the position of commander in chief. In keeping with the Mughal tradition, the emperor is distributing gifts such as coins, jewels, and textiles that display the wealth and splendor of an empire at the height of its glory. Minting coins symbolized the assertion of the power and political legitimacy of the emperors, and coins became an effective means to proclaim and disseminate imperial ideals and ambitions. The figure standing in the foreground is a religious leader, a sheikh, who is offering his blessings on this auspicious occasion.

Published References
  • Masters of Indian Painting. Exh. cat. Zurich. vol. 1: pp. 231-242, fig. 1.
  • Rene Grousset. The Civilizations of the East. 4 vols., New York and London, 1931-1934. vol. 2: p. 323, fig. 203.
  • The Hague. Catalogus tentoonstelling van Islamische kunst. cat. 32, p. 23.
  • Annemarie Schimmel. The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture. London. p. 47, fig. 13.
  • Rembrandt and the Inspiration of India. Exh. cat. Los Angeles, CA. p. 97, Plate 19.
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court., 2nd ed. Washington and Ahmedabad, India, 2012. cat. 21G, pp. 118-9.
  • Peter Alford Andrews. The Generous Heart of the Mass of Clouds: The Court Tents of Shah Jahan. vol. 4 Leiden. pp. 155-156, fig. 6.
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Susan Nemanzee. A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 54, pp. 172-173.
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. King of the World: The Padshahnama: An Imperial Mughal Manuscript from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle. Exh. cat. London, 1997. pp. 218-219, fig. 142.
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Milo Cleveland Beach, Elisabeth West FitzHugh, Susan Nemanzee, Janet Snyder. An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 336, pp. 284-285.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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