Anonymous: The Rulers of the Mughal Dynasty from Babur to Awrangzeb, with their Ancestor Timur (1658 – 1707)

(The Khalili Collections, London, UK)

A painting made by an unknown Indian artist. This group portrait shows several Mughal emperors who are sitting on a broad terrace overlooking a garden with cypress trees. Seated in the center, the seat of honour and ringed by a great halo, is Timur (also known as Tamerlane (1336-1405), founder of the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia. Timur was a powerful emperor whose military campaigns forged an empire which included parts of modern Turkey, Iraq, Iran, the Caucasus and Turkmenistan. Members of the Timurid dynasty founded various other states, including the famous Mughal dynasty in India. On the left and right various Mughal emperors and Timurid princes.

In the left group are:
- the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666),son of Jahangir
- the third Mughal emperor Akbar the Great (1542-1605), son of Humayun
- the first Mughal emperor Babur (1483 – 1530), son of Umar Shaikh Mirza II and founder of the Mughal empire
- Abu Sa'id Mirza, son of Sultan Muhammad Mirza and Timurid ruler of Samarkand
- Miran Shah (1366-1408), son of Timur

In the right group are:
- sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1618-1707), son of Shah Jahan
- fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir (1569-1627), son of Akbar the Great
- second Mughal emperor Humayun (1508-1556), son of Babur
- Umar Shaikh Mirza II (1456–1494), son of Abu Sa'id Mirza
- Sultan Muhammad Mirza, son of Miran Shah

The entire scene represents continuity and was probably made at the start of the reign of emperor Awrangzeb. Awrangzeb is presented here as a direct descendant of Timur which legitimize his rule. Painting from around 1658 – 1707