Johnson 4,2

Prince Khurram embracing his father Jahangir.

Mughal, c.1630.

Richard Johnson Collection. Purchased 1807.

Inscribed: ‘Jahangir & Shah Jehan’; in Persian: ‘tasvir-i jahangir shah jahan, ‘amal-i rajah manohar’ ‘singh’ (a picture of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, the work of Raja Manohar Singh); and: ‘shabih-i divan-i khass-i akbarabad wa tasvir-i jahangir padshah wa shah jahan vaqt-i rakhshat-i balkh kih shah jahan ra mikardand’ (a likeness of the Diwan-i Khas at Akbarabad [Agra] and portraits of the emperor Jahangir and Shah Jahan at the time of departure of [for] Balkh which he did for Shah Jahan); numbered ‘66’ in Persian inventory note.

Drawing with gouache and gold in places; on an 18th-century album leaf with gilt-decorated blue and pink borders.

296 by 208 mm; page 411 by 266 mm.

Reverse: two ‘baits’ from a ‘ghazal’ written by the calligrapher Fath Muhammad; 18th century.

Reproduced: Coomaraswamy (1910), pl.11; Brown (1924), pl.LVIII; Coomaraswamy (1927), 292-93; Wilkinson (1948), pl.7; Welch (1976), no.18; Losty (1986), 31.

Listed: Ashton (1950), no.732; Beach (1978), 137.

The emperor Jahangir and Prince Khurram (later Shah Jahan) embrace before gathered courtiers. The emperor has left his position in the centre of the balcony to meet Prince Khurram, and a single courtier stands in the equivalent position on the right of the throne. Jahangir’s courtiers are gathered in two crowds in the courtyard beneath, and an elephant is in the right foreground with the rider saluting.

Note: Apparently this is a preparatory drawing for the illustration of Prince Khurram’s return to Ajmer in 1614 which is on folio 42 of the manuscript of the ‘Shah Jahannama’ (Annals of Shah Jahan) in the collection of Her Majesty the Queen, Windsor Castle. The Windsor miniature (reproduced W.G. Archer (1960), pl.28) is signed by the artist Murad who follows a variant composition where the two crowds of courtiers are set in line with the throne position. The present composition, with the courtiers in line with the emperor, could be interpreted as more original and perhaps nearer the historical truth. A second drawing of the subject is in the Binney Collection (Binney (1973), no.55) where the Windsor composition is adhered to.

The inscription suggesting that the scene represents Shah Jahan’s departure for Balkh is confusing. Prince Khurram left for Balkh and the Qandahar campaign in 1622 , but according to the ‘Tuzuk-i Jahangiri’ he did not report to Jahangir before going (‘see’ Welch (1976), 49-50, where the discrepancy is discussed). The inscription of attribution to Raja Manohar Singh, if intended to refer to the artist Manohar, must be considered unreliable.