Photo: the delivery of presents for Prince Dara-Shikoh’s wedding (detail). Attributed to Bishandas, c. 1635. The Royal Collection. © 2003, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Packing his sword and having the elephant dusted down, Mark McLaughlin set off on a treacherous voyage to Edinburgh.
The Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh has this month been occupied by a different kind of royalty.
The Padshahnama, otherwise known as The Chronicle of the King of the World, will be on display at the palace’s Queen’s Gallery until May 3, 2004.
It tells the story of the reign of Shah-Jahan, ruler of the Indian sub-continent from 1628 until 1658 as the fifth Mughal emperor and most renowned for the creation of the Taj Mahal.
Photo: Jahangir receives Prince Khurram on his return from the Mewar campaign (detail). Painted by Balchand, c.1635. The Royal Collection. © 2003, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The manuscript dates from around the 1630s, when Shah-Jahan commissioned an illustrated account of his reign. This is the only known copy of the chronicle made in his lifetime to include illustrations from this period.
It was presented to King George III by Nawab of Oudh, Governor General of India, in 1799 and is regarded as one of the Royal Collection’s greatest treasures.
The manuscript and its illustrations are a joy behold. The book itself is written in Persian nastaliq script, a beautiful flowing text that reads from right to left, and is adorned with a border of gold.
There are 44 illustrations and two ‘illuminations’ that form the basis of the exhibition, and each is an exercise in miniature proficiency. Museum guides supply a magnifying glass at the door, so that viewers can examine the tiny detail created by the imperial workshops.
Photo: the death of Khan Jahan Lodi (detail). Painted by Abid, c.1633. The Royal Collection. © 2003, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The illuminations, known as Shamsa (image of the sun), were placed as a frontispiece to the manuscript. They are two almost identical circular floral designs, painted in the most vibrant colours, signifying "a divine light which God directly transfers to kings without the assistance of men".
The illustrations themselves form a sort of comic book, albeit a very old and expensive comic book, detailing events set out in the Padshahnama.
Indeed, the scenes depicted are almost comic like. The scenery illustrates a lack of depth and perspective, and the characters are often out of proportion.
However, it is the faces of those involved that make each page a miniature masterpiece. From the foreground to the background, each facial feature is reproduced in almost infinite detail, from eye and hair colour to the texture and thickness of the beards.
Photo: Shah-Jahan visits the shrine of Khwaja Mu'inuddin Chishti at Ajmer (detail). Attributed to the 'Kashmiri Painter', c.1656. The Royal Collection. © 2003, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Each face, many of them only 1cm high, betrays a clarity and attention to detail that is often not reproduced in western portraits 100 times their size.
Like all good comic books, the illustrations contain adventure, romance and peril. Fierce tigers and rampaging elephants accompany the stories of Shah-Jahan’s conquering armies, and the beautiful Indian clothing of guests at his two sons weddings are recreated in the finest detail.
Also, like a comic book, the Chronicle of the King of the World is a thoroughly enjoyable visual experience, with a riveting story to accompany it.
You need not be proficient in 15th century Persian to follow the tale of Shah-Jahan, the pictures tell it all. History lessons don’t come much more entertaining than this!
