Portrait of Raja Jagat Singh of Nurpur (reigned 1618-46)
Bichitrprobably 1619
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Jagat Singh was a prince from a small kingdom in the western Himalayan foothills who grew up at the imperial Mughal court of Jahangir and his queen Nur Jahan. He was given the title of prince in 1619, and this painting may commemorate that event. Very few nobles from the hill states had positions at the Mughal court at this time, so his portrait is a rare imperial Mughal painting.
The emperor and his favorite wife frequently visited Nurpur, named “City of Light” in their honor, to hunt and relax, and Prince Jagat Singh was a favorite of the queen. She interceded on his behalf in 1624, when he joined a rebellion to dethrone her husband.
- Title: Portrait of Raja Jagat Singh of Nurpur (reigned 1618-46)
- Creator: Bichitr (Indian, active c. 1615–50)
- Date Created: probably 1619
- Physical Dimensions: Page: 41 x 32.7 cm (16 1/8 x 12 7/8 in.)
- Type: Painting
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2013.324
- Medium: opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Inscriptions: ascription in lower right corner: amal - i bandieh dargah Bichitr
- Fun Fact: Jagat Singh, shown in this miniature, was a favorite of the Mughal queen.
- Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Culture: India, Mughal Dynasty (1526-1756)
- Credit Line: Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
- Collection: Indian Art - Mughal
- Accession Number: 2013.324
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