Indian miniature painted portraits of Emperor Shah Jahan & Mumtaz Mahal

The two finely painted miniatures measure 2½ x 1¾ ins [60 x 44mm approx] and are in a modern frame, 11½ x 9½ ins. overall. The figures have been painted by artists in Agra, Delhi, and Jaipur since the seventeenth century and these have more gold highlighting of the costumes than is usually the case. Shah Jahan was the third Mughal Emperor [1628-1658] and most famously had the Taj Mahal built in Agra as a shrine for his wife.The framer has gone to a great deal of trouble to show off the miniatures. One of the illustrations shows a pair of miniatures of the same subjects in my private collection, which are framed in the traditional heavily carved ebony frames much used in the 19th century. It is hard to estimate the date of the miniatures although I would imagine they are early to mid 20th century. The framing is probably no more than 20 to 30 years old.  jul15/1