Item
Shah Shuja', head and shoulders portrait.
Catalogue reference: Johnson 18,6
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This record is about the Shah Shuja', head and shoulders portrait. dating from 1640-1650.
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Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- Johnson 18,6
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Title (The name of the record)
- Shah Shuja', head and shoulders portrait.
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Date (When the record was created)
- 1640-1650
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Description (What the record is about)
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Shah Shuja'. Mughal, c.1640-50. Richard Johnson Collection. Purchased 1807. Inscribed above in Persian: 'shah shuja'' with a couplet: 'kasi ra dar jahan az vai khabar nist / mara zin bish agahi digar nist' (literally: There is not news of him to anybody in the world / To me nothing is more dear than this). Gouache with gold; oval; on an album leaf with pink and gold borders and a frame of illumination. 38 by 34 mm; page 380 by 250 mm. Reverse: the first three 'baits' of a 'qasidah' written in 'nasta'liq' calligraphy described in Persian as 'written to the order of Mirza Muhammad Taqi Jiv by 'Abd al-Rahman', with the date 34 (perhaps for AH1134/AD1721-22). Shah Shuja' aged about twenty-five, is shown head and shoulders, facing left, wearing a green-bound turban with a black aigrette; green background. Note: Shah Shuja', or Sultan Shuja', was the second son of the emperor Shah Jahan. He was born in 1616, and died in 1660 after defeat by his younger brother Aurangzeb in the succession wars of 1659-60.
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- British Library: Asian and African Studies
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Former department reference (Former identifier given by the originating creator)
- J.18,6
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Not Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
- Not applicable
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
- 1 Item
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
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Unrestricted. Appointment required to view these records. Please consult Asian and African Studies Print Room staff.
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Physical condition (Aspects of the physical condition of the record that may affect or limit its use)
- Medium: opaque watercolour.
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Unpublished finding aids (A note of unpublished indexes, lists or guides to the record)
- Toby Falk and Mildred Archer, Indian miniatures in the India Office Library (London: Sotheby Parke Bernet, 1981), 76
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/5c2d492d-a3ae-4376-b41c-25d0cf8c995f/
Catalogue hierarchy
This record is held at British Library: Asian and African Studies
Within the fonds: (British Library) Johnson Album
British Library, Visual Arts, Richard Johnson Collection
Within the file: Johnson 18
Total of 20 leaves separately mounted depicting Mughal emperors, princes, courtiers...
You are currently looking at the item: Johnson 18,6
Shah Shuja', head and shoulders portrait.