The Emperor Jahangir with Bow and Arrow

Historical period(s)
Mughal dynasty, Reign of Jahangir, ca. 1603
Movement
Mughal Court
School
Mughal School
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 16 x 8.3 cm (6 5/16 x 3 1/4 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
S1986.408
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Detached manuscript folio with painting

Keywords
bow, emperor, halo, Henri Vever collection, India, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), portrait, Reign of Jahangir (1605 - 1627)
Provenance

From at least 1910
Léonce Rosenberg (1879-1947), 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 Léonce Rosenberg by at least July 21, 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. 298, 314-315, no. 366.

[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
Léonce Rosenberg 1879-1947
Francois Mautin 1907-2003

Label

The Mughal prince Salim assumed the title of shah before his accession in 1605 as the Emperor Jahangir, when the title padshah became legitimate. The use of that term here, together with the ruler's relative youth, suggests that this portrait was made immediately following the coronation. While an identification of the painter is not now possible, this is one of the finest known depictions of the emperor.

Published References
  • Yale University Press. God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth: Light in Islamic Art and Culture. Virginia. .
  • Ivan Stchoukine. Les miniatures indiennes de l'époque des grands moghols au Musée du Louvre. Études d'Art et d'Archeologie Paris. pl. XXIIIb.
  • Milo Cleveland Beach. The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court., 2nd ed. Washington and Ahmedabad, India, 2012. cat. 19B, pp. 102-3.
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Susan Nemanzee. A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 69, pp. 202-203.
  • 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. 366, pp. 314-315.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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