In her book, , Lubaaba Al-Azami mentions a mural in St Stephen’s Hall at London’s Palace of Westminster. The painting imagines the embassy of Sir Thomas Roe to the court of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1615. Painted by William Rothenstein in 1927, the mural shows Roe holding a scroll while standing in front of Jahangir, who is seated on a throne amid courtiers, soldiers and attendants.
Though Roe stands while Jahangir sits, the implication is clear: they are on an equal footing. It shows, in Roe’s stance and, in the fact that the only two servitors bowing deeply are behind Roe, not in front of Jahangir. Compare this to a contemporary Mughal painting depicting Roe at Jahangir’s court: Jahangir investing a courtier with a robe of honour, watched by Roe, shows the English ambassador tucked away among the rank and file of the court.
He is not the centre of attention; he is not the star of the show. The difference between the two depictions is stark. , Al-Azami shows how skewed is the common perception—created by centuries of erasure of the truth—that the English and India were on a level footing.
This, as Al-Azami traces the evolution of English travellers to India, is shown to be far from the truth. Even the East India Company (EIC), of which this book almost comprises a history, ended up in India accidentally. Their primary target were the spice islands of the Far East; but since thick English broadcloth—about the only thing they could offer in exchange—had no.