3-000-031 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Bracelet with Portrait Miniatures, 1860-1870. The six portraits are of revered Mughal rulers and their royal wives. The third oval from the left, for example, is a portrait of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar (r. 1837-57, d. 1862). A skilled calligrapher, Bahadur was well versed in the history of art, architecture, garden design, and poetry. The fourth oval is a portrait of Arjumand Banu Begam, better known as known as Mumtaz Mahal (Elect of the Palace), the beloved wife of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58). She died after giving birth to her 14th child in 1631. Shah Jahan built a great mausoleum to house her body. The result was the great Taj Mahal at Agra, India.