Adorned with his portrait or signs of the zodiac, the coins issued by Jahangir (r. 1605–27) are a development from the epigraphic, aniconic coins issued by most Muslim rulers. His father Akbar (r. 1556–1605) had also experimented with different imagery, including hawks and ducks
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Group of Zodiac Coins--Aries, Leo, Pisces, Taurus, Capricorn
Date:dated 1027 AH/1617–18 CE
Geography:Attributed to India
Medium:Silver
Dimensions:D. 1/8 in. (0.3 cm) Diam. 13/16 in. (2.1 cm)
Classification:Coins
Credit Line:Bequest of Joseph H. Durkee, 1898
Accession Number:99.35.2382
Nine coins from the reign of Jahangir: 99.35.2382, .2391, .2394, .2397, .6552, .7401, .7402, .7403, .7405
The Mughal ruler Jahangir (r. A.D. 1605–27) had, among his many artistic interests, a particular concern for the appearance of the coins struck during his reign. He explained in his autobiography that since dated coins, minted at the time, bore the month in addition to the year, he had devised a plan to replace the months with images of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Following this idea, a spectacular series of coins was produced in both gold and silver, with images of a sign of the Zodiac and of the sun (the latter was a royal symbol) on the obverse and an inscription that included Jahangir's name, the date, and the mint on the reverse.
The Metropolitan Museum owns ten of these rare coins, five gold muhurs and five silver rupees, nine of which depict different signs of the Zodiac (Leo appears on both silver and gold coins, while those with Virgo, Sagittarius, and Aquarius are missing). It is fascinating to learn from Jahangir himself that each sign is meant to correspond to the month of coinage, with Aries presumably the first month, and so on. According to this system, these nine coins would have been minted, in chronological order, in January 1618, January or February 1618, March 1618, November or December 1619, June or July 1621, September 1622, February or March 1624, and April or May 1625. However, a brief study of these coins reveals some inconsistencies in this respect, since in two cases the A.H. year, the year of Jahangir's reign (also stamped on the reverse), and the month/sign of the Zodiac do not correspond. For example, the coin on which Leo is shown, supposedly struck in February or March 1624, and the coin with Libra (to the right of Leo), minted fourteen months later, in April or May 1625, bear the same year of Jahangir's reign, the nineteenth, stamped on the reverse. This would suggest that the equation, sign=month, in strict accordance with Jahangir's will, was not always followed.
[Carboni 1997]
Joseph H. Durkee, New York (until d. 1898; bequeathed to MMA)
New York. The Hagop Kevorkian Special Exhibitions Gallery, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Following the Stars: Images of the Zodiac in Islamic Art," February 4–August 31, 1997, no. 10.
Carboni, Stefano. Following the Stars: Images of the Zodiac in Islamic Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997. no. 10, pp. 26–27, ill. (b/w).
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of Islamic art is one of the most comprehensive in the world and ranges in date from the seventh to the twenty-first century. Its more than 15,000 objects reflect the great diversity and range of the cultural traditions from Spain to Indonesia.
