Description

recto:

Calligraphy by Mir Ali,c. 1500.

The verse is written on pale blue paper surrounded by floral arabesques against gold with a decorated thumbpiece.

Signed: 'Poor 'Ali the calligrapher'.

verso:

Portrait of Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir, c.1660-1700.

A portrait of Emperor Alamgir (Aurangzeb) with a halo wearing a dark green jama embroidered with an orange floral motif and leather boots. He holds a small turban ornament and rests his left hand on a straight-bladed sword. The original pale blue background has been overpainted with pale turquoise. The green ground and flowers are also later additions.

A copy of this portrait, also imprinted with the seal Asaf al-Dawlah on the reverse, is in the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (2004.46).

Mughal-Library