The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 23, 2023

Jahangir

early 1600s

Mughal India

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Image: 4.8 x 3.2 cm (1 7/8 x 1 1/4 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1944.496

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

The pearl earring denotes Jahangir’s affiliation with an order of Sufi mystics.

Description

Emperor Jahangir had tiny portraits of himself made to give as gifts to his friends, family, and courtiers as a sign of royal favor. These portraits were mounted and worn as jewels or turban ornaments. The carpet or textile under his hands references the covered rail of a balcony where the emperor addressed the public three times a day to hear complaints or petitions.

Citations
Islamic Art; Selected Examples from the Loan Exhibition of Islamic Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1944. Mentioned and Reproduced: p . 28 archive.org
Rice, Yael and Sonja Drimmer. "How Scientists Use and Abuse Portraiture" Hyperallergic, December 11, 2020, https://hyperallergic.com/604897/how-scientists-use-and-abuse-portraiture/ hyperallergic.com
Exhibition history

Islamic Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 1944-February 2, 1945).

Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1944.496