Prince’s Garment

Abul Faz’l, the emperor’s biographer and author of the Ain i Akbari, explains that Akbar engaged personally in elaborating the Court garb style. Essentially two costumes were worn. The jama coat, a high-waisted garment closely fitting the bust, its lower part consisting of a wide skirt, held at the waist by a belt (patka) and closed on the side, and the angarkha (from the Sanskrit, literally “limb protector”), a sort of long-sleeved coat covering the torso, and featuring a round or sometimes triangular opening in the front. Traditionally white cotton or silk, royal angarkha were delicately brocaded with metallic thread or embossed in gold sheet, as is the case of this outstandingly beautiful piece. As of the 16^th century the jama, like the angarkha, began being woven in muslin. They were notably described by the French traveler Jean Thévenot (Voyages published in 1689 after his death) who visited Jahangir’s court in 1666. Since the reign of the latter, who was fond of Cashmir and had sent his official painter Mansur there so he could reproduce its flowers, these costumes have presented flowery patterns or boteh, a sort of stylised bouquet, handed down from the Persian tradition, largely found on the shawls of Cashmir, and that would spread throughout the Mughal court wardrobes.