The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 14, 2022

Portrait of Alamgir (r. 1658-1707)

c. 1700

India, Mughal

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Sheet: 7.9 x 5.3 cm (3 1/8 x 2 1/16 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1944.498

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Unlike his predecessors, Alamgir disapproved of alcohol and music.

Description

Probably painted shortly before his death, this portrait of Shah Jahan’s son, the sixth Mughal emperor Alamgir (reigned 1658–1707), reveals his sober and orthodox temperament. Alamgir did not care for music, art, or literature. Instead, he focused his resources on expanding the empire’s boundaries, which he succeeded in doing well beyond the territories claimed by his predecessors.

Citations
Simon Ray (Gallery). Simon Ray: Indian and Islamic Works of Art. London: Simon Ray, 2017. Mentioned: p. 29
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/1944.498