The Emperor Alamgir (reigned 1658–1707) on Horseback
Unknown Artist
c. 1690–1710
Medium
Gum tempera, gold, and silver on paper
Dimensions
30.5 × 22.3 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Accession Number
1971.81
About this artwork
The equestrian portrait genre was inspired by gifts of European prints and paintings to the Mughal court. The sixth Mughal emperor is portrayed on an elegant, decorated steed, ready for battle, holding a spear, and his sword at the ready. His attendant holds the symbolic parasol over him, which is a millennia-old emblem of kingship in India. Throughout his long reign he was primarily occupied with the conquest of the Deccan, which he ultimately achieved, expanding the Mughal Empire to its greate...