Name of Object: The rulers of the Mughal dynasty from Babur to Aurangzeb, with their ancestor Timur Location: London, United Kingdom Holding Museum: Khalili Family Trust – Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art About Khalili Family Trust – Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, London Date of Object: c. AD 1707–12 Artist(s) / Craftsperson(s): Attributed to Bhawani Das Museum Inventory Number: MSS 874 Material(s) / Technique(s): Ink, gold and opaque watercolour on paper, mounted on card as an album page; panel (on the reverse) written in nasta‘liq Dimensions: Page: 25.8 x 31.5cm; painting: 20.8 x 31.5cm Period / Dynasty: Mughal Provenance: India Description: Timur occupies the central position in this group portrait. From the front, and on the left are the emperors Shah Jahan, Akbar and Babur, with Abu Sa‘id, ruler of Samarkand, and Timur’s son, Miranshah. On the right are the emperors Aurangzeb, Jahangir and Humayun, and two of Timur’s other sons, ‘Umar Shaykh and Muhammad Sultan. The figures are identified by legends in gold. The setting is a terrace overlooking a garden with cypress trees. The figures kneel on a rich floral carpet on which are precious objects, including two unusual incense burners and an enamelled table with two Chinese porcelain vases. So meticulous are the details that smoke rising from the incense burners can be seen. Although the composition must date from the beginning of Aurangzeb’s reign, the style of the painting suggests that it is an 18th century work, and that it was painted by Bhawani Das. His signature appears on a virtually identical hexagonal table in a painting in the Binney Collection.

Mughal-Library