The Emperor Farrukhsiyyar (reg. 1713-19) enthroned in a riverside pavilion, a prince standing in audience before him, an attendant with a flywhisk standing behind
Mughal, circa 1715, and Lucknow, third quarter of the 18th Century
gouache and gold on paper, blue inner border decorated with gold foliate motifs, narrow (trimmed) outer border with gold flecks on a cream ground
painting 350 x 232 mm.; page 380 x 281 mm.
Footnotes:
The lower part of the painting, comprising the terrace scene and the near bank of the river, is datable to the reign of Farrukhsiyar and is typical of the fine work, in style and composition, of the first quarter of the 18th Century at Delhi, by artists such as Chitarman II, also known as Kalyan Das (for whom see T. McInerney, 'Chitarman II' in M. Beach, E. Fischer, B. N. Goswamy, Masters of Indian Painting, Zurich 2011, vol. II, pp. 547-562, figs. 2, 3, 5, 6, 11).

The background, comprising the river, the boats and the distant landscape on the further shore, was added in the third quarter of the 18th Century and is typical of Oudh work of the period - see, for example, a portrait of a Mufti by Bahadur Singh, circa 1775, in the British Library (T. Falk and M. Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, London 1981, p. 438, no. 251); also illustrated in S. Markel, T. Gude, India's Fabled City: the Art of Courtly Lucknow, Los Angeles and Munich 2011, p. 63, no. 135). There is a physical paper-join that runs horizontally along the lower bank of the river that is visible in raking light. It is not clear whether the repainting of the background is an attempt to add Oudh style to an existing work, or if it was an attempt to repair, in the best possible way, damage to a painting of high quality.

For a comparable depiction of Farrukhsiyyar receiving a nobleman, see the work in the British Library (Johnson Album), dated to 1713-19, illustrated in J. P. Losty, M. Roy, Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire, London 2012, p. 161, fig. 103. The lack of a halo in our painting may indicate that the work was produced just before Farrukhsiyyar actually became Emperor.

The Emperor Farrukhsiyyar (reg. 1713-19) marked a period of relative calm in the breakdown of the Mughal empire following the death of Aurangzeb. Though ultimately short-lived and violent in its ending, his reign did at least last longer than those of many of his contemporaries. Aurangzeb's four surviving sons battled amongst themselves for the succession: Mu'azzam defeated 'Azam Shah in battle and reigned briefly as Bahadur Shah I (1707-12) before dying of natural causes. His son, 'Azim al-Shan, proclaimed himself Emperor, but was killed only weeks later by Jahandar Shah, his elder brother. Through the machinations of the three Barha Saiyid brothers, Jahandar Shah was deposed in 1713 by his nephew - Farrukhsiyyar - who after marching on Delhi had his uncle strangled and his body left outside the gate of the Shahjahanabad fort. The same three brothers later turned on Farrukhsiyyar, had him blinded and then murdered in 1719. That year saw no fewer than four Emperors, or potential Emperors: Farrukhsiyyar, Rafi'uddarajat (who died of tuberculosis), Rajiuddaula (also died of tuberculosis), and Muhammad Shah, who reigned peacefully until 1748.