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Source Description

The six portraits are of revered Mughal rulers and their royal wives. The third oval from the left, for example, is a portrait of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar (r. 1837–57, d. 1862). A skilled calligrapher, Bahadur was well versed in the history of art, architecture, garden design, and poetry. The fourth oval is a portrait of Arjumand Banu Begam, better known as known as Mumtaz Mahal (Elect of the Palace), the beloved wife of Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58). She died after giving birth to her 14th child in 1631. Shah Jahan built a great mausoleum to house her body. The result was the great Taj Mahal at Agra, India.The six segments of this bracelet feature miniature portraits of three Mughal emperors and their consorts. Indian artists adopted the technique of painting portrait miniatures on ivory with watercolors from British artists living and working in India during the 19th century. This delicate bracelet is, therefore, an interesting example of the cultural exchange between East and West during the period of European imperialism.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
14966
label
Bracelet with Portrait Miniatures
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
9
Source metadata
id
14966
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Bracelet with Portrait Miniatures
description
The six portraits are of revered Mughal rulers and their royal wives. The third oval from the left, for example, is a portrait of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar (r. 1837–57, d. 1862). A skilled calligrapher, Bahadur was well versed in the history of art, architecture, garden design, and poetry. The fourth oval is a portrait of Arjumand Banu Begam, better known as known as Mumtaz Mahal (Elect of the Palace), the beloved wife of Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58). She died after giving birth to her 14th child in 1631. Shah Jahan built a great mausoleum to house her body. The result was the great Taj Mahal at Agra, India.The six segments of this bracelet feature miniature portraits of three Mughal emperors and their consorts. Indian artists adopted the technique of painting portrait miniatures on ivory with watercolors from British artists living and working in India during the 19th century. This delicate bracelet is, therefore, an interesting example of the cultural exchange between East and West during the period of European imperialism.
provenance
John D. Schapiro, Monkton, Maryland; Mrs. Jerry Cascarella [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1999, by gift.
date
1860-1870
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Miniatures
bracelets
imageCount
9
pageCount
9
source
import
dimensionsRaw
L: 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm)
Source extras
cul
Mughal
style
Mughal
med
watercolor on ivory, gold
creator_ids
2191
collection_ids
ISL
INT
JWL
exhibition_ids
1954
3027
Page inventory
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1
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photo
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photo
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photo
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photo
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photo
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photo
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photo
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no
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no