Celebrating my solar birthday (which is today, thank you for your wishes ;) :) ) with an image of Shah Jahan celebrating his lunar birthday ( on 23 Oct 1632). It shows the birthday boy on a pair of gold scales, being weighed against silver, gold, precious stones, etc. These would be given away as alms, to protect him from harm. I did no such thing today but I may have eaten cake and assorted goodies in my own body weight.

The folio records an actual historical event that took place in Agra and was documented by the painter Bhola for the Padshahnama around 1640. The painting's use of gold matches the opulence of the occasion. Courtiers and attendees are carefully placed in the picture space and draw the eye to the pavilion, where we see the weighing ceremony through pillars. Perhaps the only respite in the busy image is where Shah Jahan is seated: neatly framed between two pillars. The artist has paid meticulous attention to detail with individual portrait faces, outfits, jewellery, their position at the Mughal court, and posture. We can identify several courtiers, a Persian ambassador, and grandees. For its exquisite rendition, and the artist's clever painting style, this folio itself is a gift that keeps giving.