Artwork Page for Nur Jahan holding a portrait of Emperor Jahangir

Details / Information for Nur Jahan holding a portrait of Emperor Jahangir

Nur Jahan holding a portrait of Emperor Jahangir

c. 1627

attributed to Bishandas

(Indian)
Culture
Mughal India
Medium
gum tempera and gold on paper
Measurements
Painting only: 13.6 x 6.4 cm (5 3/8 x 2 1/2 in.); Page: 30 x 22.1 cm (11 13/16 x 8 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.325
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Jahangir died at 58, outliving his younger brothers by about 25 years.

Description

A woman identified as the favorite wife of the Mughal emperor Jahangir (reigned 1605–27) holds a formal portrait of her husband. He appears aged with graying facial hair behind the jharokha carpet that marks imperial presence.

This painting may be modeled on a work depicting Jahangir holding a portrait of his deceased father, showing himself to be the legitimate successor. Nur Jahan, who handled most of the affairs of state, hoped to remain in power after his death. She is depicted in her idealized youth, since she would have been 50 years old when Jahangir died.
Vertically oriented painting of Nur Jahan, a woman with medium-light skin tone, in full-body profile holding to our left a portrait of Emperor Jahangir, a man with medium-light skin tone and greyed mustache, in profile from the shoulders up. Black hair pulled back under a sheer orange wrap, Nur Jahan sits against a green background. Nur Jahan wears beaded necklaces over a sheer, white top, extending into a skirt with blue pin-striped trousers underneath. A pattern of white flower with yellow leaf against dark blue forms a border.

Nur Jahan holding a portrait of Emperor Jahangir

c. 1627

Bishandas

(Indian)
Mughal India

See Also

  • Collection
    Indian
  • Department
    Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Type of artwork
    Painting
  • Medium
    Tempera
  • Credit line
    Gift In Honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by Exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection

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