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Portrait of Sharif Sarmadi from the Salim Album, ca. 1600

Ink, gold, and color on paper
y1969-39
Portrait of Sharif Sarmadi from the Salim Album

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Interpretation

Prior to ascending the throne as the fourth Mughal emperor, Jahangir (reigned 1605–27) was known as Prince Salim, and this portrait comes from an album named for the young prince. The album was compiled during the period when the prince rebelled against his father and set up his own court in the eastern part of the empire. About thirty paintings from the album survive and are dispersed across collections in North America and Europe. All feature the same decoration in the outer border—geometric medallions painted in gold. The inscription on this painting reads "īn shabīh-i Sharīf sarmad-i ast," which means "this portrait of Sharif is everlasting /eternal."

Information

Title
Portrait of Sharif Sarmadi from the Salim Album
Object Number
y1969-39
Medium
Ink, gold, and color on paper
Dates
ca. 1600
Dimensions
miniature: 12.1 × 5.9 cm (4 3/4 × 2 5/16 in.) sheet: 22.7 × 14.2 cm (8 15/16 × 5 9/16 in.) mat: 48.9 × 36.2 cm (19 1/4 × 14 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900
Culture
Indian
Period
Mughal period
Reign of Akbar
Place made
Asia, India
Inscriptions
Black-on-buff inscription above scene; inscription and scene together bordered with bands of blue and a broad zone of gold geometric patterns on the parchment ground.
Type
Materials

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