Portrait of Sharif [. . . ] from the Salim Album

Description

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."