Firman of the Emperor Shah Jahan

Object Details

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Label

  Imperial Mughal decrees address a variety of administrative subjects, such as issues of taxation and land rights, the appointment of officials, and the settling of a multitude of personal and formal complaints. In addition to their role as legally binding documents, these farmans served as visual and written symbols of the emperor's power and authority in the remotest corners of his vast empire.

  Issued in January-February 1653, this decree regulates the grants and stipends of the district of Kutri in Mandisur, part of the province of Malwa in north central India. An impression of Shah-Jahan's seal appears on the top right. It is inscribed with the names of his ancestors beginning with Timur and is flanked by the emperor's tughra (calligraphic monogram) giving his titles.

• Provenance

  Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-1658), India [1]

  A.C. Ardeshir, Windsor, England, and Bombay, India [2]

  To 1996

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York City, to 1996

  From 1996

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. in 1996

  Notes:

  [1] See Curatorial Remark 1, Massumeh Farhad, January 30, 1996, in the object record.

  [2] The Ardeshir collection was moved to Britain prior to World War II (see Provenance Remark 1 in the object record).

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Jewel and the Rose: Art of Shah Jahan (May 4, 1997 to January 25, 1998)

• Previous custodian or owner

  A. C. Ardeshir

  Shah Jahan (1592-1666; reigned 1628-1658)

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013)

• Origin

  India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds

• Type

  Document

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1650s

• Name

  Ardeshir, A. C., Shah Jahan, McInerney, Terence

• Place

  India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Reign of Shah Jahan (1628 - 1658), Art, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Kings and rulers

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Language

  Nasta?li-q script

• Object Type

  Documents