Emperor Jahangir Embraces Shah Abbas
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Mixed Media |
| Current Location: | National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC, USA |
| Location History: | The location history of the painting Emperor Jahangir embraces Shah Abbas spans from the imperial courts of India and Iran to the art markets of Europe and America. Commissioned around 1618 at the Mughal Court, it remained housed in the Mughal Library in Delhi, India, until 1739 when it was plundered by Nadir Shah and brought to the Imperial Library in Tehran, Iran. There, it was bound into the St. Petersburg Album, which was later disassembled and dispersed into Europe during the late 19th century. By 1909, the painting resurfaced on the art market in Tehran before entering the private collection of art dealer Hagop Kevorkian in New York by 1944. Finally, in 1945, it was purchased by the National Museum of Asian Art, where it has since resided in the permanent collection in Washington, DC. |
Abu’l Hasan was an artist who worked under the Mughal emperor Jahangir, and was commissioned by Jahangir to paint a myriad of themes throughout his career. Created in around 1618, his artwork Emperor Jahangir Embraces Shah Abbas depicts Jahangir’s dream where he embraced the Persian emperor Shah Abbas. A clear difference in power can be seen in the artwork – Jahangir towers over Sha Abbas as the latter is hunched and leans in for the embrace. Additionally, Sha Abbas’ feet are on a sheep, while Jahangir’ are on a lion. This reflects how the painting is created in a way that flatters Jahangir, a notion that is present in many of Abu’l Hasan’s works. https://daakvaak.com/postcards/jahangir-the-world-seizer-abul-hasans-allegorical-portraits https://asia.si.edu/explore-art-culture/collections/search/edanmdm:fsg_F1945.9a/