A head-and-shoulders portrait of Prince Dara Shikoh (1615-1659) facing left
Mughal, circa 1660
Mughal, circa 1660
gouache and gold on paper, the oval portrait mounted on the right-hand side of an illuminated frontispiece, from a manuscript possibly of the Haft Awrang of Jami, laid down on an album page with blue inner border and gold-sprinkled outer border, verso a page of nasta'liq calligraphy copied by Javahir Raqam in AH 1090/AD 1679-80, framed
portrait 45 x 37 mm.; album page 240 x 195 mm.
portrait 45 x 37 mm.; album page 240 x 195 mm.
Sold for
£4,200
inc. premium
Footnotes
- Prince Dara Shikoh was the favourite son and heir to Shah Jahan. This oval portrait is typical of small portraits inspired by the English portrait miniatures brought to India as gifts to the Mughal court by Sir Thomas Roe. For comparison see: R. Strong, The Elizabethan Image, London 1969, nos. 72, 82, 86 and 88; M. C. Beach, The Grand Mogul, Williamstown, Mass. 1978, nos. 32 and 64.
Sayyid 'Ali Tabrizi (d. 1683) was a nasta'liq calligrapher who lived in Isfahan but who moved to India during the reign of Shah Jahan, from whom he received the title Javahir Raqam and was appointed teacher of 'Alamgir (as in the later upper marginal note here). During 'Alamgir's reign he was appointed superintendent of the Royal Library, and was honoured with the title 'Khan' and the hazari rank. His seal impressions are in many recorded manuscripts from the Mughal Royal Library. A few of his calligraphic pages have been recorded, dating between 1651 and 1658. The page in the present lot is his latest recorded work. See Mehdi Bayani, ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, vol. II, Teheran 1346 sh., pp. 447-49.
Category: Islamic and Oriental Art / Islamic and Indian Art
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