The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 24, 2024
Shamsa (sunburst) with portrait of Aurangzeb (1618–1707), from the Emperor's Album (the Kevorkian Album)
illumination 1640–55; original portrait c. 1640–50; altered after 1658
probably by Bichitr
(Indian, active c. 1615–50)
Page: 40 x 27.7 cm (15 3/4 x 10 7/8 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Tooling the gold cloud motif with pinpricks makes it catch more light and shimmer.Description
This closing page of an imperial Mughal album originally had the shamsa, or sunburst, with a plain gold disc in the center, referencing the light of God as divine sanction for Emperor Shah Jahan’s rule. The depiction of divine light by means of floral and geometric patterns was painted by hand with mathematical precision in gold and lapis lazuli. The portrait of Aurangzeb was probably added when he took over the imperial library after seizing the throne from his father, Shah Jahan, in 1658 and adopting the name Alamgir, which means “Seizer of the Universe.” The string of prayer beads in his right hand points to his extreme religious orthodoxy, which dramatically altered the culture of the Mughal court from what had previously been an openly ecumenical center.- Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).The Cleveland Museum of Art (7/31/2016-10/23/2016); Art and Stories from Mughal India, cat. 58, p. 237-38.Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245); December 31, 2013 - June 30, 2014.
- {{cite web|title=Shamsa (sunburst) with portrait of Aurangzeb (1618–1707), from the Emperor's Album (the Kevorkian Album)|url=false|author=Bichitr|year=illumination 1640–55; original portrait c. 1640–50; altered after 1658|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.331