Three generations

The painting shows an allegorical Mughal painting with Badshah Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan – three generations of Mughals seated under a canopy with their respective chief ministers (from left to right)- I‘timaduddawla (served Jehangir), Mirza `Aziz Koka Khan-i A'zam (served Akbar) and Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan (served Shah Jahan). Succession was always a tricky affair in house of Mughals. The eldest son was not the natural heir and succession was usually decided with bloody wars, blindings, mutilations, deceit and murders of siblings. The successor’s desire to justify ones place on the throne was common with both Jehangir and Shah Jahan. Jehangir was not Akbar’s chosen successor. Prince Salim’s (Later Jehangir) untrammelled drinking, debauchery, negligence of duties and rebellion against his father did little to build his case in Badshah Akbar’s eyes. This and other reasons led Akbar to proclaim that he loved his grandchildren (Khusrau, Khurram and Rustom) more than his sons. When Akbar’s favourite son Prince Daniyal died at a young age, Akbar started grooming his grandson and Jehangir’s son Khusrau. The young prince Khusrau displayed exceptional skills and wisdom and had the privilege to be groomed by the Mughal Emperor Akbar himself for the throne of the Mughal Empire. Akbar made Khusrau the commander of a force of 10,000, after which his status became equal to that of his father, Salim. However, soon after Akbar’s death in 1605, Salim succeeded and became Jehangrir. Subsequently, Prince Khusrau's position and influence in the court weakened after his father's succession. In 1606, Khusrau rebelled against Jehangir to secure the throne for himself. Khusrau received the blessings of Guru Arjan Dev and prominent Chieftains joined in his support. But he was defeated in battle and partially blinded and imprisoned by his father. On a trip to Kabul, he even accompanied his father while being in shackles. Jahangir however filled with guilt later asked his health officials to find a remedy for the recovery of his son's eyesight though they remained unsuccessful. In 1622, Khusrau was killed on the orders of Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan) and his wife Nurjahan. Coming back to the present work reflects Akbar’s desire to bypass Jehangir and pass the crown on to his grandson. It outlines the importance of succession to the emperor Shah Jahan (seated on the right). Akbar hands a jewelled crown not to his actual successor Jahangir, but to his grandson Shah Jahan. A second painting which is a matching pendant to this one (in the V&A museum), shows Timur handing a crown to the first Mughal emperor Babur watched by Babur's son Humayun and their three chief ministers. The present work is by the Mughal artist Bichitr, a student of the artist Abu'l Hasan who became one of Shah Jahan's leading court artists was a prolific and all-encompassing painter capable of capturing a vast spectrum of complex subjects and elements. He served under two great Emperors Jehangir and Shahjahan and perhaps even under Alamgir. Influenced by his studies of European artworks, Bichtr incorporated figures with shadows, Western perspective, and putti (cherubs or angels) into his work. His technically refined portraiture and ability to render hands won him the respect of the Emperors. As a portraitist and a commemorator of great occasions, Bichitr’s cold perfectionism and brilliant shadow techniques are a magnificent reflection of his own place and time, despite his strong European influences. Like many artists in the Mughal court, Bichitr too was of the Hindu faith. The painting folio forms part of the “Minto Album” a set of forty album pages, now in the collections of the Chester Beatty (19 paintings) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (21 paintings). It is one of the most well-known muraqqas from South Asia of individually painted miniatures. Made between 1612 and 1640, the album was created under the reigns of Jehangir and Shah Jahan. The name is derived from its previous colonial owners first Earl Minto (Governor General of India. From 1807-17) and the fourth Earl Minto Viceroy of India from 1905-10. As Indians we have obviously read these names in our history books. They were a family which epitomised the Raj and contributed to our subversion with their heart and soul.

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