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Lot Essay
This painting depicts the Mughal Emperor Shah ‘Alam or Bahadur Shah I (r.1707-12), seated with four of his sons. Known as Muhammad Mu‘azzam (1643-1712) before becoming Emperor, he was the second son of Aurangzeb and came to the throne at the age of sixty-two after his father’s death in 1707. The death of Aurangzeb was a significant moment in the history of the Mughal Empire greatly altering its fortunes and propelling it into a crisis. Bahadur Shah I became Emperor after an intense power struggle between potential claimants. His reign lasted only five years and a similar situation arose after his death when the Mughal throne was once again viciously contested.
Sultan Khujaista Akhtar Mirza (1673-1712), seated on the far left in a yellow jama, was the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. He was killed in battle by his older brother Mu’izz-ud-din who is seated to his right. Mu’izz-ud-din (1663-1713) ascended to the throne as Sultan Jahandar Shah after his father Bahadur Shah died and ruled for a year until 1713. ‘Azim-ud-din or ‘Azim ush-Shan (1664-1712), seated on the other side to his father’s left, dressed in an orange jama, claimed the throne in 1712 when Bahadur Shah died but was defeated and drowned in the Ravi river during a battle in Punjab. ‘Azim ush-Shan’s youngest son, Farrukhsiyar, defeated and killed his uncle Jahandar Shah in 1713 and proclaimed himself Mughal Emperor. Rafi’ ush-Shan Mirza (1671-1712), seated on the extreme right, was the third son of Bahadur Shah I. He was also killed in 1712 during the bloody power struggle with his brothers. All three of his sons were briefly enthroned after the death of Farrukhsiyar in 1719 under the influence of the powerful Sayyid brothers. There was finally a period of stability when the son of Khujaista Akhtar, Muhammad Shah, was put on the throne. He reigned from 1719 to 1748.
This family portrait was painted at the court of Mewar in Rajasthan during the reign of Maharana Amar Singh (r.1698-1710). He is known to have introduced a distinct Mughal aesthetic to Mewar architecture and painting. This is evident in the construction of the Mughal-influenced Amar Vilas pavilions at the palace in Udaipur. In painting, the emphasis moved from illustrating Hindu mythological and poetical scenes to royal portraiture and recording intimate durbar gatherings. This inventive change in Mewar painting in the 1690s is also linked with Amar Singh’s master court painter known only as the ‘Stipple Master’. He experimented with a nim qalam style derived from earlier late 16th and 17th century Mughal and Deccani painting to produce accurate and intimate portraits of Amar Singh. (C. Glynn, “The Stipple Master”, in M.C. Beach, E. Fischer, and B.N. Goswamy, Masters of Indian Painting, Zurich, 2011, pp.515-30). Alongside the traditional Rajput flat planes of colour, more realistic representation and naturalistic handling of space could now be observed in works being produced in the Mewar atelier.
The simplest way of mastering this Mughal treatment of space was by copying known Mughal paintings. The original Mughal painting which may have been the inspiration for the current lot was probably very similar to a group portrait of Bahadur Shah I seated with four of his sons, handing a sarpech to a grandson, painted circa 1710. The four sons are unnamed but it has been suggested that they are possibly Mu‘izz-ud-din (Jahandar Shah), ‘Azim ush-Shan, Rafi’ ush-Shan, and Jahan Shah, each of whose sons ascended the Mughal throne for brief spells. Formerly in the collection of Edwin Binney 3rd, the painting is now in the San Diego Museum of Art (inv. no.1990.368; W. Dalrymple and Y. Sharma (eds.), Princes and Painters in Mughal India, 1707-1857, London, 2012, cat.no.3, pp.72-73) Our Mewar artist has imitated the composition of the San Diego painting and rendered the figures against flat planes of colour in characteristic Mewari style. The thunderous clouds in the sky can also be seen in portraits of Maharana Amar Singh (see A. Topsfield, Court Painting at Udaipur: Art under the Patronage of the Maharanas of Mewar, Zurich, 2002, fig.97, p.124). The composition, especially the rendition of the seated princes with folded hands, is also comparable to known group portraits of Amar Singh seated with his courtiers (op. cit., fig.101, 103, pp.126-127).
Another Mughal dynastic portrait painted in Mewar in the late 17th or early 18th century, depicting the emperors Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb sold at Bonhams, London, 8 April 2014, lot 257.
Sultan Khujaista Akhtar Mirza (1673-1712), seated on the far left in a yellow jama, was the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. He was killed in battle by his older brother Mu’izz-ud-din who is seated to his right. Mu’izz-ud-din (1663-1713) ascended to the throne as Sultan Jahandar Shah after his father Bahadur Shah died and ruled for a year until 1713. ‘Azim-ud-din or ‘Azim ush-Shan (1664-1712), seated on the other side to his father’s left, dressed in an orange jama, claimed the throne in 1712 when Bahadur Shah died but was defeated and drowned in the Ravi river during a battle in Punjab. ‘Azim ush-Shan’s youngest son, Farrukhsiyar, defeated and killed his uncle Jahandar Shah in 1713 and proclaimed himself Mughal Emperor. Rafi’ ush-Shan Mirza (1671-1712), seated on the extreme right, was the third son of Bahadur Shah I. He was also killed in 1712 during the bloody power struggle with his brothers. All three of his sons were briefly enthroned after the death of Farrukhsiyar in 1719 under the influence of the powerful Sayyid brothers. There was finally a period of stability when the son of Khujaista Akhtar, Muhammad Shah, was put on the throne. He reigned from 1719 to 1748.
This family portrait was painted at the court of Mewar in Rajasthan during the reign of Maharana Amar Singh (r.1698-1710). He is known to have introduced a distinct Mughal aesthetic to Mewar architecture and painting. This is evident in the construction of the Mughal-influenced Amar Vilas pavilions at the palace in Udaipur. In painting, the emphasis moved from illustrating Hindu mythological and poetical scenes to royal portraiture and recording intimate durbar gatherings. This inventive change in Mewar painting in the 1690s is also linked with Amar Singh’s master court painter known only as the ‘Stipple Master’. He experimented with a nim qalam style derived from earlier late 16th and 17th century Mughal and Deccani painting to produce accurate and intimate portraits of Amar Singh. (C. Glynn, “The Stipple Master”, in M.C. Beach, E. Fischer, and B.N. Goswamy, Masters of Indian Painting, Zurich, 2011, pp.515-30). Alongside the traditional Rajput flat planes of colour, more realistic representation and naturalistic handling of space could now be observed in works being produced in the Mewar atelier.
The simplest way of mastering this Mughal treatment of space was by copying known Mughal paintings. The original Mughal painting which may have been the inspiration for the current lot was probably very similar to a group portrait of Bahadur Shah I seated with four of his sons, handing a sarpech to a grandson, painted circa 1710. The four sons are unnamed but it has been suggested that they are possibly Mu‘izz-ud-din (Jahandar Shah), ‘Azim ush-Shan, Rafi’ ush-Shan, and Jahan Shah, each of whose sons ascended the Mughal throne for brief spells. Formerly in the collection of Edwin Binney 3rd, the painting is now in the San Diego Museum of Art (inv. no.1990.368; W. Dalrymple and Y. Sharma (eds.), Princes and Painters in Mughal India, 1707-1857, London, 2012, cat.no.3, pp.72-73) Our Mewar artist has imitated the composition of the San Diego painting and rendered the figures against flat planes of colour in characteristic Mewari style. The thunderous clouds in the sky can also be seen in portraits of Maharana Amar Singh (see A. Topsfield, Court Painting at Udaipur: Art under the Patronage of the Maharanas of Mewar, Zurich, 2002, fig.97, p.124). The composition, especially the rendition of the seated princes with folded hands, is also comparable to known group portraits of Amar Singh seated with his courtiers (op. cit., fig.101, 103, pp.126-127).
Another Mughal dynastic portrait painted in Mewar in the late 17th or early 18th century, depicting the emperors Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb sold at Bonhams, London, 8 April 2014, lot 257.