The Symbolic Possession of the World: European Cartography in Mughal Allegory and History Painting

Abstract

From their earliest contacts with Europeans, the Mughals sought to obtain maps, atlases, and globes. They were, however, concerned with cartography less as a scientific tool than as a means to convey messages of status and power. Both cartographically correct and cartographically manipulated globes feature prominently in the allegories of Emperor Jahāngīr. Emperor Shāh Jahān added another dimension: European cartographical devices were introduced into history painting, to structure the imperial landscape and to document the emperor's conquests.Dès leurs premiers contacts avec les Européens, les Moghols cherchèrent à obtenir cartes, atlas et globes. Ils étaient toutefois peu intéressés par la cartographie comme instrument scientifique et considéraient plutôt celle-ci comme un moyen d'exprimer leur statut et leur pouvoir. Des globes à la cartographie exacte ou manipulée figurent abondamment dans les allégories de Jahāngīr. Shāh Jahān ajouta une dimension supplémentaire: il introduisit des procédés cartographiques européens au sein des peintures historiques afin de structurer le paysage impérial et de documenter ses conquêtes.

Looking through the <em>Vizão Feita por Xpo a el Rey Dom Affonso Henriques</em> (1659) Franciscans in India and the legitimization of the Braganza monarchy

“…Symbolic elements, coming from the worlds of astrology, geomancy and dream interpretation, were used to convey this message. 11 The transactions with Christian and Indian cultural issues were also expressed in some of these representations (Bayley, 1998;Koch, 2011;Flores and Silva, 2004;Carvalho, 2001;Moin, 2012;Subrahmanyam, 2012;Lefèvre, forthcoming), not only with regard to religious themes, but also -as Subrahmanyam has pointed out-embracing other visual forms, including atlases and globes, motifs taken from geographical maps, and even painting techniques (Koch, 2012;Subrahmanyam, 2012). Parallel processes were going on in the Rajput principalities and Deccan sultanates, which were by no means unaware of what was happening in the Mughal Empire.…”