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138
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Portrait of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605)
See original version (French)
138
-
Portrait of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605)
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,500 - €2,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Portrait of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605)
India, Delhi, circa 1840
Opaque pigments and gold on paper. In the centre of a large medallion is a bust portrait of the emperor seated in profile, wearing a yellow jama finely strewn with flowers. He is adorned with rich jewellery, a pearl necklace, a turban adorned with a jewelled aigrette and a dagger in his left hand. In his right hand is a globe, a symbol of power and authority.
In the background, a balustraded terrace opening onto a garden. The whole is framed by a large decoration of arabesques, foliage and polychrome floral elements, incorporating epigraphic cartouches left empty.
Painting 13.5 x 10.5 cm (5.3 x 4.1 in.); folio 32.5 x 21 cm (12.8 x 8.3 in.)
Provenance :
Bonham's sale, London, 15 April 2010, lot 397.
Private collection, Paris.
Portraits of dignitaries holding a globe are part of an iconography of power inherited from Mughal painting, where this attribute symbolises sovereignty and mastery of the world. The present portrait is part of this tradition, adapted in regional centres in the 19th century, notably Delhi, where the Mughal heritage was combined with a more marked decorative taste, perceptible in the richness of the illuminated borders and the ornamental stylisation.
A portrait of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605), opaque pigments and gold on paper, India, Delhi, c. 1840.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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