Radiant World: Jahangir and Mughal India

The Mughal Empire (1526–1858), which extended across much of South Asia, was one of the great artistic and cultural powers of the early modern world. Under Emperor Nuruddin Jahangir (ruled 1605–1627), the imperial court became a uniquely interconnected center of significant artistic achievement, scientific curiosity, and intellectual inquiry, leading to a distinctive visual culture renowned for its refinement and creative ambition.

Radiant World: Jahangir and Mughal India explores this remarkable period through splendid paintings, illustrated manuscripts, drawings, jeweled arts, textiles, and works of decorative art. Inspired by Jahangir’s captivating memoir, the Jahangirnama, the exhibition traces the emperor’s evolution from rebellious prince to powerful ruler, collector, and discerning patron of the arts and sciences. He was also a keen naturalist, as evidenced by his many observations of zoological and botanical life.

Alongside celebrated portraits by artists such as Abu’l Hasan, Bichitr, and Balchand, among others, and dynastic treasures such as coins, pendants, emerald and crystal cups, and other opulent objects, are natural history studies by Ustad Mansur—including the depiction of an African zebra observed from life at the Mughal court—exquisite botanical studies, evocative paintings of holy men, and other works that illuminate Jahangir’s fascination with the natural world, spirituality, and artistic innovation. The exhibition also highlights the influential role of Jahangir’s Persian queen, Nur Jahan, whose innovations in architecture, dress, and textiles reveal the power and influence that women had in Mughal court politics and life.

Bringing together approximately 230 works from The Met and major collections around the world, the exhibition situates Jahangir’s court within a wider network of artistic, literary, scientific, and philosophical exchanges connecting India and the Persian and Ottoman spheres, Europe, Africa, and wider Asia. Through a range of media that highlights the achievements and interrelated practices of artists, jewelers, architects, textile makers, and court workshops, it presents a perspective on Mughal artistic production that reveals how one unifying vision helped secure a culture’s place in the global unfolding of the early modern age.