Image: Shah Alam II (1759-1806), the blind mughal Emperor, seated on a golden throne.
Description: Shah Alam II (reigned 1759–1806) seated on a golden throne in Delhi. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper H. 12 13/16 x W. 9 5/16 in. (32.5 x 23.7 cm) Victoria and Albert Museum, IS.114-1986. This evocative portrayal of the blind emperor Shah Alam II (reigned 1759–1806), probably by the court painter Khairullah, highlights the continued preeminence of the Mughal emperor even as his political power was brokered through an alliance with Maratha chief Mahadji Sindhia, whose image also appears in this exhibition. In 1788, the Afghan Rohilla chief Ghulam Qadir had ransacked the palace treasury and blinded the emperor Shah Alam II in a fit of uncontrolled rage. Shah Alam’s son and successor, Muinuddin Muhammad (later Emperor Akbar II), is seated to the right on a throne platform, while on the left are two other courtiers from the emperor’s inner circle leaning on staffs. The gilded and bejeweled structures of the re-created Peacock Throne and Muinuddin’s seat, along with the five Chinese porcelain vases in the center, convey the painter’s attempt to re-create an air of luxury and opulence long associated with the image of the Mughal court.
Title: Shah Alam II (1759-1806), the blind mughal Emperor, seated on a golden throne.
Credit: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O17501/painting-shah-alam-ii-1759-1806/ Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi » Decline of Power, Pursuit of Pleasure, Muhammad Shah, 1719-1748
Author: attributed to Khairullah (active 1800–1815)
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No
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