"Shah Jahan on a Terrace, Holding a Pendant Set With His Portrait", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album
recto: dated 1627–28; verso: ca. 1530–50
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H. 15 5/16 in. (38.9 cm) W. 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Rogers Fund and The Kevorkian Foundation Gift, 1955
Accession Number
55.121.10.24
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio from the *Shah Jahan Album*, titled *"Shah Jahan on a Terrace, Holding a Pendant Set With His Portrait"*, showcases the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628–58) rendered by the court artist Chitarman in 1627–28 on the recto. Depicting the young prince poised elegantly on a terrace, cradling a pendant bearing his own likeness, it captures a moment of regal poise and self-reflection. The verso features an earlier work from ca. 1530–50, highlighting the album's role as a curated treasury of imperial art. Created during the golden age of Mughal painting under Shah Jahan's patro...
About the Artist
Chitarman · 1627–1670
Indian, active ca. 1627–70