Emārat i Sadr, Isfahan, Iran, nineteenth century, Qajar era.
The painting above is a piece of work by Mihr Ali, a renowned Iranian artist from the Qajar era. Mihr Ali, also known as Mir Ali Qajar or Mehr Ali, was the chief artist of the Qajar ruler, Fath Ali Shah. Having mastered skills of traditional Persian painting, Mihr Ali was know for his excellence at capturing the power and grandeur of the sitter for his portraits. This is well reflected in the portrait of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan given here, which is among the paintings of several historical figures he created. In this painting, Shah Jahan is depicted as a young, beautiful, inexperienced boy, without the his moustache and the chiseled beard with which he had usually been shown. He is dressed in a high waisted, burnt orange coloured jama (tunic) with prints of tiny blur coloured flower like patterns and a golden yellow turban dumalla (double storeyed) turban on his head- a prevalent turban style in medieval India. On his waist he wears a blue coloured sash (patka or kamarmandh) with golden embroidery at its borders and a piece of jewelry made of emarald and gold adorning it at the centre. Below he wears deep red or maroon coloured high shoes, the use of which had gained momentum among the royalty during Safavid rule in Iran. Adoring his clothes are amulets (bāzubands) on his either arms and wrists, made of pearl, gold and emerald. Above on his turban is a crown jewel made of gold and emarald with a small, dark plum or feather at its top, attached to a string of pearls that runs around the band of his turban. The facial features reflect the classic stylized form of Qajar portraiture- thick, deep set eyebrows that join at the centre of the forehead, big almond shaped lashy eyes, and an oval face shape. The artwork above is an example of Mihr Ali's brilliance as an oil painter an portraitist. Apart from it, it is also an evidence of Iranian artists drawing inspiration for their paintings from Indian themes and figures- a lesser known aspect of the Indo-Iranian cultural interaction and history.
The formal portrait of The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan made at the hands of Mihr Ali is an extraordinary oil painting created in the 19th century that combines elements of the Persian court style of painting with the classical European academic style of representation. The painting depicts an idealized, youthful portrait of the emperor in an imposing position against an elaborate palace background supported by a curtain draped in red. The emperor is represented dressed in an intricately decorated orange robe with gold patterns, a turban, and an extreme amount of emerald and pearl jewelry. Executed by the popular artist of the Qajar court Mihr Ali, the painting shows decorative softness and boldness of lines and conveys a delicate porcelain-like quality of the subject of the portrait.
