Ca. 1618
Jahangir (1569-1627; reign 1605-1627), by commission
Ca. 1618-1739
Mughal Library, Delhi, India, under Muhammad Shah (1702-1748; reign 1719-1748)
1739-late 19th century
Imperial Library, Tehran, under Nadir Shah (1688-1747; reign 1736-1747) and subsequent rulers of Iran, Nadir Shah had paintings and manuscripts taken from the Mughal library during his invasion of Delhi, India
Late 19th century-ca. 1909
Ownership information unknown
Ca. 1909
Appeared on the art market in Tehran, Iran
Ca. 1909-at least 1944
Ownership information unknown
At least 1944-1945
H. Kevorkian, New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown
From 1945
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from H. Kevorkian
One of the greatest painters at Jahangir's imperial court and a recipient of the title Nadir-uz-Zaman (Wonder of the Age), Abu'l Hasan blended the aristocratic sophistication of Persian miniatures, the grounded accuracy of Indian painting, and European naturalism (through the arrival of Jesuit priests and diplomatic missions) to revolutionize the art of Mughal miniature. Jahangir Embracing Shah Abbas was commissioned circa 1618 () and the work came at a time when the Mughal empire and Safavid empire, ruled by Shah Abbas I, had extremely high political tension between each other. The two rulers had never actually met; however, Jahangir allegedly dreamt of an embrace with the Persian Shah and ordered Abu'l Hasan to depict the scene to be turned into an imperial representation. The painting signifies not only the great artistry of the Mughal miniature painter but also Jahangir's obsession with dreams, divinity of kingship, and using art for the purpose of political propaganda.
Jahangir towers over Shah Abbas on a very realistic, terrestrial globe in what looks like an embrace but carries a diplomatic undertone of dominance. The Mughal Emperor's size is larger than the Shah's and his attire more opulent. Jahangir also appears to have a halo of solar and lunar light, which may symbolize his regal title, Nur al-Din ("Light of the Faith"). A lion and a lamb are pictured at the base of the globe together in harmonious companionship, a common symbol of justice and the reign of a great king in Islamic and Persian imagery, but a lion nudges the lamb toward the Persian Empire, suggesting the might and dominance of Mughal rule over the Shah and the nation. A European cartographic globe can be interpreted from Jahangir's name "World Seizer" and from the expanding international maritime trade and diplomacy during the seventeenth century. Two Renaissance cupids hold Jahangir's divine solar and lunar halo as the composition is filled with the wonderful fusion of cultures.
Beneath its veneer of an embrace between great kings, the miniature is quite a significant political representation. It was painted when there were conflicts between the Mughal Empire and Safavid Empire over Qandahar. Jahangir's empire and rule looked to be greater, wealthier, more peaceful and Divinely mandated than the rule of Shah Abbas I of Persia. The luxurious robes, military vest and the postures adopted in the painting, depict how the Mughals used paintings and artwork as an appendage to their rule and power. Abu'l Hasan created the painting as an imaginary rather than a literal hierarchical scene, putting his employer Jahangir at the pinnacle of the entire world as the great world-conquering ruler, and the Shah of Persia appears more meek in his position. The painting combines the essence of diplomacy, fantasy, philosophy, and propaganda-an artwork made with the power of the image to enhance political authority.
The real art-historical irony, however, is the painting's violent afterlife. This imperial fantasy was looted from the Mughal library during Nadir Shah's invasion of India in 1739. It was carried to the Safavid capital of Isfahan as war booty, where the talented Persian illuminator Muhammad Sadiq added the rich, floral border that now encloses Abu'l Hasan's original, fusing the two dynasties the painting had tried so hard to separate into a single, masterful object. It was later disassembled in Europe and found its way to the imperial collection of St. Petersburg, hence its modern designation as part of the "St. Petersburg album". In the end, the painting is a profound document of imperial insecurity, a confession of weakness frozen in gold. It proves that the most extravagant proclamations of power are often painted by the most terrified of sovereigns.
