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Lot Essay
Many portraits of Akbar (r.1556-1605) commissioned during his lifetime depicted him as a robust and youthful emperor. Emperor Jehangir (r.1605-1627), however insisted upon realistic portrayals of figures and facial features in his own commissions and thus a mature portrait of his father emerged in the albums of Jehangir's reign and carried forth in the era of Shah Jahan (1592-1666). According to M. Brand, Shah Jahan was very fond of his grandfather and regarded him as a role model by instructing his historians to always use Akbar's posthumous title arsh ashiyani, (Resting upon the Divine Throne). Compare to a painting of Akbar with a lion and calf from the Kevorkian album signed by the artist Govardhan, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, M. Brand, The Vision of Kings, 1995, cat. no. 94.
The artists Balchand and Bichitr were active in the imperial ateliers during Shah Jahan's reign. See further examples of their work in M. Beach and E. Koch, King of the World: The Padshahnama, 1997.
The artists Balchand and Bichitr were active in the imperial ateliers during Shah Jahan's reign. See further examples of their work in M. Beach and E. Koch, King of the World: The Padshahnama, 1997.