Emperor Jahangir Triumphing over Poverty is an opaque watercolor, ink, and gold painting on paper created by Abu’l Hasan in the Mughal Empire between circa 1620 and 1625. The work was produced during the reign of Emperor Jahangir, a period noted for its flourishing courtly arts and refined manuscript painting. The painting is part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s collection, originating from the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, with its border attributed to 16th-century Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The composition centers on Emperor Jahangir, depicted in profile and standing on a globe, aiming a bow at an emaciated, dark figure representing poverty.

A putto hands arrows to the emperor, while two winged cherubs hold a crown above him. The scene is set against a pale blue sky with stylized clouds, and the lower portion features symbolic animals on the globe and a figure riding a fish in the water below. The painting is rendered in fine detail, with rich colors, intricate gold embellishments, and a floral patterned border, characteristic of Mughal miniature painting. This work exemplifies the allegorical and imperial themes favored at Jahangir’s court, where artists such as Abu’l Hasan were commissioned to create images that celebrated the emperor’s virtues and authority.

The painting’s provenance traces it to the Heeramaneck Collection and it is now housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The border, produced in Bukhara, reflects the cosmopolitan influences present in Mughal art of the period.