Emperors & Jewels: Treasures of the Indian Courts

Aga Khan Museum, Toronto

NOW CLOSED

Cup (17th century), India. Photo: © The al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait

This exhibition presents a range of jewellery and ornaments from the courts of the Mughal emperors and their contemporaries, dating from the 16th to the 19th century. These works are drawn from the al-Sabah Collection in Kuwait, and are paired at the Aga Khan with the museum’s paintings depicting courtly life amid the Indian rulers of the era. Highlights include a 17th-century Deccan dagger sash-cord ornament, as well as a genealogical chart of the Emperor Jahangir and his family, depicted in a series of miniature, circular portraits; they appear almost as though brilliant jewels, set into the paper, providing an interesting comparison between painting and decorative arts. Find out more about ‘Emperors & Jewels’ from the Aga Khan Museum’s website.

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Genealogical Chart of Jahangir (1610–23), Dhanraj. Photo: © Aga Khan Museum, Toronto

Dagger sash cord ornament (probably first half of 17th century), northern Indian or Deccan. Photo: © The al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait