Description
The manuscript source for this translation of the memoirs of the Mughal emperor Jahangir (1569-1627) is the spurious Tarikh-i-Salim Shahi, produced around three years after its subject's death. Serving the East India Company from 1781 as a soldier and, following injury, as a translator, agent and judge-advocate-general, David Price (1762-1835) studied Persian and collected many manuscripts. After leaving India in 1805, he devoted his time to scholarship as a member of the Royal Asiatic Society and the Oriental Translation Fund, which awarded him its gold medal in 1830. In this work, first published in 1829, Price notes throughout where the source is illegible, problematic or incongruous. The translation is carefully made and provides an account of the reign and character of Jahangir which corresponds in places to the authentic memoirs, although containing several factual inaccuracies. Despite this, it remains a colourful reflection of Mughal historiography. Emperor Jahangir is probably best known in the West as the father of Shahjahan, who built the Taj Mahal. Jahangir's reign was one of great prosperity, and his passion for art and nature encouraged an artistic flowering that rivaled European art during the rule of the Medicis. Jahangir's memoirs provide not only the history of his reign, but also his reflections on art, politics, and life, including the suicide of one of his wives, and selections of poetry written by members of his harem. This book includes a selection of exquisite full-color paintings, drawings, and objects that specifically illustrate the passages they accompany.