Manohar (attributed to), Emperor Jahangir weighing his son
Khurram in gold, an album-painting in gouache on paper
Mughal dynasty, around AD 1615
India
A display of the riches of the Mughal emperors
This scene illustrates an event in 1607 described in the Mughal
emperor Jahangir's memoirs, the Tuzuk-i Jahangiri
('regulations of Jahangir'). Twice a year, on the first day of both
the solar and lunar years, it was customary for the emperor, or one
of his sons, to be weighed against 'gold and silver and other
metals, [and] all sorts of silks and cloths and various grains'.
The emperor's weight in treasure would then be distributed to the
poor. This was a tradition started by Jahangir's father Akbar
(reigned 1556-1605). The ceremony took place at an auspicious hour,
as calculated by astrologers, and holy men held the ropes of the
scales, invoking blessings and prayers during the weighing. Here,
the young prince Khurram, the future Shāh Jahan (reigned 1628-57),
sits in one of the large scales as his father, Emperor Jahangir,
gauges his weight against bags of gold. Generals and ministers of
the court observe the ceremony. Tiny inscriptions state the
identity of each of the main figures. Trays laid out in the
foreground show further riches to be weighed, and a treasurer notes
the proceedings in a book.
Both the emperor and the prince have haloes of light around
their faces, denoting their imperial status. The details of the
scene, such as the jewellery, weapons, luxurious carpets, the
golden throne and the Chinese porcelains displayed on the pavilion
wall, are most likely intended to demonstrate the enormous wealth
of the Mughals.
J.M. Rogers, Mughal miniatures (London, The British Museum Press, 1993)
M. Cleveland Beach, The Grand Mogul: imperial pain (Massachusetts, 1978)
A. Rogers and H. Beveridge, The Tuzuk-I-Jahangiri or Memoi, revised edition (Delhi, 1968)