Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings

Emperor Jahangir sits enthroned on an hourglass throne — a symbol of his belief that he had transcended ordinary time. Four figures below wait for his attention, in strict order of rejection: at the top a Sufi shaikh (whom Jahangir chooses); below him the Ottoman sultan; below him King James I of England; and at the bottom Bichitr, the painter himself, holding a miniature of his own work. Bichitr copied the two ruler- portraits from real diplomatic gifts sent to the Mughal court. It is a shocking political allegory: the emperor prefers spirituality to any king. And Bichitr slid himself onto the same list as two rulers, quietly promoting his own status. He signed the painting on the footstool. Now at Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. @natasianart