Painting

The Persian and Turki verses on this page from a royal Mughal album are signed by its calligrapher, Mir 'Ali, and were probably done in Bukhara in the 1530s. The calligraphy came into the Mughal library and was illuminated by the court artist Daulat, who was in service to the emperor Jahangir (r. 1605-1627). He signed his work, which was probably done in the court atelier at Agra between about 1610 and 1615, in minuscule lettering on the gold ground within the borders at lower left. The panel would have been inherited by Jahangir's son, Shah Jahan, on his accession in 1628 and was incorporated into one of his albums, as demonstrated by the floral borders in a style which is typical of his reign.