Jahangir's Wine Cups: A Study of the Artistic Styles and Symbolism

Abstract

The applied arts, e.g. cups of wine and opium, at the time of Indian Mughal emperors show how great their civilization and creativity were. The present paper is an artistic study of these cups, their styles at the time of Jahangir and their appropriateness to the function. It also investigates the materials used in manufacturing, decorations and the relationship between these decorations and the cups' functions. Additionally, it aims to study the philosophy of the Mughal emperors in drinking wine, how fond they were of these drinks despite the teachings of Islam and the development of drinking wine at the time of Jahangir that the depiction of the emperor holding a cup was a well-known phenomenon. Finally, it examines the coins minted during Jahangir's era and the symbolism of wine cups and their relations to him in some kingly scenes.