The Birth of a Prince
from Jahangirnama
Jahangir period
17th century AD.
Jahangir was the fourth Mughal emperor. Like Babar, he too maintained a diary, known as Jahangirnama. Like the Babarnama and Akbarnama, the diary was also heavily illustrated. Jahangir was a great patron of painters. His period (1605-1627) has produced some of the best artists of India.
Bishan Das was one of the finest painter of Jahangir's atelier. He specialized in portrait painting. In fact Jahangir records that he had sent Bishan Das to Iran in order to paint a portrait of Shah of Iran with whom he had friendly relations.
Here Bishan Das paints Jahangir's birth. We get a peep into the Zannakhana or the ladies palace. The newly born child is being presented to the mother. The old grandmother sits in the chair. There are women and eunuchs gossiping and singing. A eunuch group is clapping and singing. The gate of the palace is decorated with a string of flowers and closed with a curtain. A group of astrologers, sitting outside the palace, are drawing up the horoscope of the prince. Men laden with trays of jewelles and clothes have arrived--possibly sent by Akbar himself at the arrival of Salim, the future Jahangir.
These paintings conjure up the Mughal world for us. They are important both as art pieces and as historical documents of an age bygone.
Bishan Das was one of the finest painter of Jahangir's atelier. He specialized in portrait painting. In fact Jahangir records that he had sent Bishan Das to Iran in order to paint a portrait of Shah of Iran with whom he had friendly relations.
Here Bishan Das paints Jahangir's birth. We get a peep into the Zannakhana or the ladies palace. The newly born child is being presented to the mother. The old grandmother sits in the chair. There are women and eunuchs gossiping and singing. A eunuch group is clapping and singing. The gate of the palace is decorated with a string of flowers and closed with a curtain. A group of astrologers, sitting outside the palace, are drawing up the horoscope of the prince. Men laden with trays of jewelles and clothes have arrived--possibly sent by Akbar himself at the arrival of Salim, the future Jahangir.
These paintings conjure up the Mughal world for us. They are important both as art pieces and as historical documents of an age bygone.
No comments:
Post a Comment