MUGHAL INDIA, CIRCA 1610

After the death of Akbar, his son Jahangir (r. 1605–27) ascended to the throne. As a prince, Jahangir had established his own atelier in Allahabad and had strong artistic tastes. The books Jahangir commissioned ranged from literary works such as the Razmnama (a Persian translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata) to historical texts, including an illustrated version of the memoirs of his reign, the Tuzuk-i Jahangiri. This finely illuminated folio comes from a royal manuscript of circa 1610 that must have been prepared for the emperor Jahangir. The artists responsible for the few known illustrated leaves of the original manuscript include Balchand, Bishandas, Inayat, Govardhan, Payag, Dhanraj and Aqa Reza, all members of the royal atelier, while the opening double page of illumination has been attributed to Mansur (see Sotheby's London, 25 April 2012, lot 484).

Jahangir’s patronage is further indicated by the close similarities between the border designs of this manuscript and those of the well-known copy of the Farhang-i Jahangiri prepared for Jahangir circa 1608. The manuscript appears to have included the text of both the Shahnama and the Garshaspnama since the majority of pages illustrate episodes or include text from the Shahnama and the opening illuminated pages sold at Sotheby’s London, 25 April 2012, lot 484 were undoubtedly from the Shahnama, being the opening of the preface to the Baysunghuri edition. However, several others illustrate episodes specific to the Garshaspnama of Hakim Abu Ali ibn Ahmad Tusi (e.g. 'Nariman lassoes the Khaqan of Chin', Sotheby's New York, 16 March 2016, lot 858; 'Nariman kills the son of the Khaqan of Chin', Sotheby's London, 28 April 2004, lot 57). The inclusion of both texts in one volume is not unusual. Another early Mughal copy that includes the Shahnama, the Garshaspnama and the Barzunama is in the British Library, Or. 4906, see N. Titley, Miniatures from Persian Manuscripts, London, 1977, p.52, no.121. The dimensions of all the published pages from the present manuscript are almost identical. Many folios have different borders on each side, some of which are of marbled paper. Our folio has blue borders on both recto and verso, which is rarer. The gold illumination of animals and birds amidst foliage are in a style and format typical of Persian-influenced early Mughal manuscripts, and very close in style and quality to the Farhang-i Jahangiri. Another folio from the Shahnama part of this manuscript is in the Smithsonian, National Museum of Asian Art, inv. no. S1986.351. A further example recently sold in these Rooms, 27 October 2022, lot 98.