TheHH at 01:46, 4 January 2026

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{{Short description|17th-century Mughal painting}}
{{Infobox artwork
| image = Darbarscene.jpg
| medium = Opaque watercolor with gold on paper
| height_metric = 19.1
| width_metric = 21.4
| museum = [[Museum of Islamic Art, Doha]]
}}

'''''Darbar of Aurangzeb''''' is a 17th-century [[Mughal painting]]. It depicts the Mughal emperor [[Aurangzeb]] holding court under a canopy.

== Background ==
The painting is referred to by many names, including ''Darbar of Aurangzeb'',<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Beach |first=Milo Cleveland |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25818/page/170/mode/2up |title=The Grand Mogul: Imperial Painting in India,1600-1660 |date=1978 |publisher=Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute |pages=171}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Streusand |first=Douglas E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ux-yDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22darbar+of+aurangzeb%22&pg=PA231 |title=Islamic Gunpowder Empires: Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals |date=2018-05-04 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-96813-6 |pages=232 |language=en}}</ref> ''Darbar of 'Alamgir''<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Welch |first=Stuart Cary |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.25951/page/112/mode/2up |title=Imperial mughal painting |date=1978 |publisher=George Braziller, New York |pages=112–113}}</ref>, ''Aurangzeb with his third son, Sultan Azam''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kossak |first=Steven |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=26hwuIqcJHgC&dq=%22aurangzeb+with+his+third+son%22&pg=PA57 |title=Indian Court Painting, 16th-19th Century |date=1997 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-0-87099-782-2 |pages=57 |language=en}}</ref>, and ''{{'}}Alamgir Enthroned''.<ref name=":3">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Yk1WrePdE |title=A Rediscovered Mughal Master |date=2021-05-13 |last=Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |access-date=2025-11-19 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

Various dates have been proposed by scholars for the work's composition. Earlier hypotheses by [[Stuart Cary Welch]] and [[Milo C. Beach]] date the painting to around 1660. In these interpretations, the boy in front of the emperor is identified as his son, [[Muhammad Azam Shah|Azam Shah]] (b. 1653).<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalrymple |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zdQDAQAAQBAJ&dq=Darbar+of+Aurangzeb&pg=PA6-IA1 |title=Princes & Painters: In Mughal Delhi 1707-1857 |date=2013-07-15 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-93-5118-173-6 |language=en}}</ref>

Later scholarship has disagreed with this interpretation. John Seyller dates the work to c. 1681-82. He argues that in Mughal painting, the status of the figures present corresponds to their proximity to the emperor. As such, he argues that Azam Shah must be the adult figure closest to the emperor. The boy in front of the emperor is identified by him as [[Bidar Bakht]], the eldest son of Azam Shah and the favourite grandson of the emperor.<ref name=":3" />

The attribution of this painting has also been disagreed upon, with scholars variously attributing it to [[Bichitr]],<ref name=":1" /> Hashim,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beach |first=Milo Cleveland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RjwxGMKC9cC&dq=%22darbar+of+aurangzeb%22&pg=PA150 |title=Mughal and Rajput Painting |date=1992-09-24 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-40027-5 |language=en}}</ref> and Ilyas Bahadur.<ref name=":3" />

== Description ==
[[File:Aurangzeb-portrait.jpg|thumb|Aurangzeb is holding a bird.|left]]
[[File:Azam_Shah_in_the_painting_"Darbar_of_Aurangzeb".jpg|thumb|[[Muhammad Azam Shah|Azam Shah]] is wearing a gauntlet, as if prepared to receive the bird from his father.]]
This ''[[Durbar (court)|durbar]]'' (also anglicized as ''darbar'') scene takes place under a canopy, against a blue-sky background. The emperor Aurangzeb is seated upon a golden throne, studded with jewels. Behind him is a striped [[bolster]]. He is holding a bird, variously identified as a [[hawk]] or a [[falcon]]. He has with him a shield and a sword. These, along with his trained bird-of-prey, emphasize his martial prowess.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> The 63-year-old emperor is the only figure to display no signs of aging.<ref name=":3" />

The figure closest to the emperor, identified as [[Muhammad Azam Shah|Azam Shah]], is wearing a vest made out of golden brocade. He wears a falconer's gauntlet, as if preparing to receive the bird from the emperor. This is a metaphor, symbolizing Azam Shah's status as heir apparent.<ref name=":3" /> The presence of Azam Shah's son [[Bidar Bakht]] before the emperor also points to his elevated status. The boy's liveliness contrasts with the formal portrayal of the other figures.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" />

To the left of Azam Shah is his elder brother [[Bahadur Shah I|Mu'azzam]], who has a characteristic white streak in his beard. Finally, at the far left is [[Shaista Khan]], an important nobleman and uncle to the emperor.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" />

Behind the emperor's throne is the prince [[Muhammad Kam Bakhsh]]. Holding a [[fly-whisk]], he is depicted as an adolescent, with a hint of a moustache forming above his lips. On the far right is Ashraf Khan, a nobleman who served as paymaster general.<ref name=":3" />

== Reception ==
[[Stuart Cary Welch]] calls the work "of stunning quality", and notes that despite Aurangzeb's aversion to art as a result of his religiosity, some of the best Mughal paintings were made during his reign.<ref name=":1" /> John Seyller says that the painting has become "''the'' iconic image of [[Aurangzeb|Alamgir]] and his reign".<ref name=":3" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Indian paintings]]
[[Category:17th-century paintings]]
[[Category:Mughal art]]
[[Category:Watercolor paintings]]
[[Category:Paintings in Qatar]]

Darbar of Aurangzeb - Revision history

TheHH at 01:46, 4 January 2026