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Walters Ms. W.712, Single leaf of a portrait of Lal Kunwar

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Shelf mark

W.712


Manuscript

Single leaf of a portrait of Lal Kunwar


Text title
Portrait of Lal Kunwar

Abstract

This Mughal color-wash drawing, dating to the twelfth century AH / eighteenth CE, depicts Lāl Kunwar, the beloved of the eighth Mughal Emperor Jahandār Shāh (d. 1125 AH / 1713 CE). Originally a dancing girl, she became Jahandār's concubine and later the queen consort. Contemporary historians noted Jahandār Shāh's decadent lifestyle and his devotion to the female entertainer Lāl Kunwar, who is named in the inscription at the top of the page. Reportedly, Lāl Kunwar had much influence at Jahandār's court. The seals in the upper corners of the page were added later.


Date

12th century AH / 18th CE


Origin

India


Form

Leaf


Genre

Historical


Language:

No linguistic content; Not applicable


Support material

Paper

Mounted on pasteboard


Extent

Foliation: Not applicable


Dimensions

21.5 cm wide by 32.6 cm high


Layout
  1. Image: 12.0 cm wide by 20.0 cm high

Contents:
fols. W.712a - W.712b:
  1. Title: Portrait of Lal Kunwar
  2. Decoration note: Buff paper with illuminated floral design for border

Decoration:

fol. W.712a:

  1. W.712, fol. W.712a
  2. Title: Portrait of Lāl Kunwar
  3. Form: Drawing
  4. Label: This Mughal color-wash drawing, dating to the twelfth century AH / eighteenth CE, depicts Lāl Kunwar, the beloved of the eighth Mughal Emperor Jahandār Shāh (d. 1125 AH / 1713 CE).

fol. W.712b:

  1. W.712, fol. W.712b
  2. Title: Portrait of Lāl Kunwar (back)
  3. Form: Back

Acquisition

Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters bequest


Contributors

Principal cataloger: Gacek, Adam

Catalogers: Landau, Amy; Smith, Sita

Editor: Bockrath, Diane

Conservators: Jewell, Stephanie; Quandt, Abigail

Contributors: Barrera, Christina; Emery, Doug; Herbert, Lynley; Noel, William; Simpson, Shreve; Tabritha, Ariel; Toth, Michael B.; Valle, Chiara


Publisher

The Walters Art Museum


License

Licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Access Rights, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/legalcode. It is requested that copies of any published articles based on the information in this data set be sent to the curator of manuscripts, The Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201.