Shah Jahan on a Terrace, Holding a Pendant Set with His Portrait

This page comes from an album made for Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who later built the Taj Mahal, and it was painted around the time he came to the throne. He stands in profile on a terrace in a pale pink robe, holding up a small jewelled pendant that contains his own portrait. A glowing halo surrounds his head, and behind him a landscape fades into a soft blue distance. The borders are painted with gold flowers. Every part of the picture is finely detailed, from the pearls to the patterned carpet beneath his feet. It is a portrait about portraits: the emperor holding his own likeness.

Look closely

1. Look at the tiny portrait inside the pendant.
2. Follow the colors of the halo from its center outward.
3. Look at the flowers painted in the border. Are any two the same?

While you sit

A painted man holding a painted picture of himself. Rest in front of all that care and gold.

Your seat in the galleries: a pale pink silk divan with gilded brass feet.