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Genealogy of Indian Mughal Emperors' Jewels Narration by Royal Iconography (Case Study: Painting of “The Rulers of the Mughal Dynasty from Babur to Awrangzeb, with Their Ancestor Timur”)
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Zahra Mehdipour Moghaddam *   |
| , Department of Islamic Arts, Faculty of cultural heritage, handicrafts and tourism, University of Mazandaran |
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Abstract: (494 Views) |
The portrayal of Mughal emperors in the collection of iconographies has taken a central role and constitutes a significant part of the visual arts of India, largely due to the Mughal kings' fascination with grandeur and splendor, which played a decisive role in the fate of these images. Their influence and support for visual arts, which were fundamentally courtly arts, led artists to realistically depict the magnificence of court life. In these royal illustrations, emperors are adorned with various types of jewelry. Thus, this research aims to study the lineage of their jewelry in royal iconography based on Michel Foucault's genealogical theory, focusing on the components that shape it. The aim: is to identify the lineage and influential components in the formation process of royal jewelry and their role in expressing the power and grandeur of the Mughal dynasty to their rivals, based on visual arts. Genealogy has been able to provide a more nuanced perspective by removing the fixed aspect of the concept of Mughal jewelry and explaining the process of jewelry formation throughout history. The question: What conditions influenced the formation and existence of the jewelry of the Mughal kings, from Babur to Aurangzeb, as depicted in royal iconographies? Research method: this research employs a fundamental approach, conducted qualitatively and descriptively-analytically, based on Foucault's genealogical approach and the collection of library information. The findings indicate that the commonly used jewelry does not have a single lineage but has changed over time due to historical and social factors. Artists, without considering their origins influenced by Hindu, Iranian-Islamic, and European cultures, regarded it as an inseparable part of the iconographies, which, beyond their ornamental aspect, symbolized the social character of the royal family and served to express the power of the Mughal dynasty. The Great Mughals, as one of the wealthiest empires, believed that to convey the prestige of the Mughal dynasty, they should display their treasures. Consequently, artists, following their example, considered the source of power in royal iconographies to be the more splendid adornment of the Mughal emperors with various types of jewelry.
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| Keywords: Genealogy, jewelry, Mughal Dynasty, Royal painting, Foucault. |
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Full-Text [PDF 775 kb]
(189 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/09/30 | Accepted: 2024/12/21
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