Raja Ajmat Dev
Raja Ajmat Dev (r. 1730-1760) Mankot, 1730 Opaque pigments with gold on paper Image: 17.2 x 21.5 cm Few hill rajas were depicted as frequently as Raja Ajmat Dev of the small state of Mankot. In each surviving portrait, Ajmat is depicted, alone, as we see here, or with an attendant, smoking a hookah, as […]
Zulfiqar Khan
Zulfiqar Khan (1657-1713) Mughal, 1690 Opaque pigments with gold on paper Image: 18.7 x 10.7 cm Folio: 23.5 x 14.9 cm Inscription: (front) Zulfiqar Khan son of Asad Khan Zulfiqar Khan was one of Aurangzeb’s most important military commanders. He was the son of Aurangzeb’s wazir, Asad Khan and Mehr-un-Nisa Begum (the daughter of Shah […]
A Mughal Princess Relaxes on a Terrace
A Mughal Princess Relaxes on a Terrace Deccan, 1680-1700 Brush drawing with pigment and gold on paper Image: 17.8 x 13.5 cm Inscription: (front) Princesa Begomsaep Hermana Del Rey Oranghseep Images depicting the activities of the zenana were exceedingly popular in classical Indian painting from the reign of Jahangir till the end of courtly patronage. […]
Ibrahim Adil Shah II
Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1571-1627) of Bijapur Portrait: North India, 1680 Borders: Golconda or Bijapur, c. 1600 Opaque pigments with gold on paper Image: 11 x 6.7 cm Folio: 22.9 x 16.3 cm Ibrahim Adil Shah II was the sixth sultan of the Adil Shah dynasty that ruled Bijapur from 1490-1688. He is remembered as […]
Portrait of a Courtier Holding a Bow and Arrow
Portrait of a Courtier Holding a Bow and Arrow Mughal, 1680 Brush drawing with light applications of pigment and gold on paper Image: 18 x 10 cm
Portrait of a Mughal Nobleman
Portrait of a Mughal Nobleman Mughal, 1670 Brush drawing on paper Image: 18.3 x 10.2 cm Folio: 23.1 x 15 cm The emphasis on perfection and grandeur that was the hallmark of Shah Jahan’s artistic patronage would be curtailed after the accession of the more conservative Emperor Aurangzeb. He dramatically reduced the number of artists […]
Portrait of a Bearded Nobleman
Portrait of a Bearded Nobleman Deccan, Probably Aurangabad, 1660-70 Opaque pigments with gold on paper Image: 18 x 10 cm Folio: 26.9 x 17 cm With the increased Mughal military presence in the South during the reign of Aurangzeb we see a shift in Deccani painting from a whimsical and imaginative blend of indigenous and […]
Dara and Sulaiman Shikoh
Dara (1615-1659) and Sulaiman Shikoh (1632-1662) Mughal, 1655 Opaque pigments with gold on paper Image: 21.3 x 16.2 cm Folio: 31.8 x 21.6 cm Inscription: (front) Dara Shikoh, Sulaiman Shikoh Prince Dara Shikoh stands facing his eldest son Sulaiman Shikoh in a manner that was, at the time of this works completion, highly conventionalized. Dara […]
Islam Khan Mashhadi
Islam Khan Mashhadi (d. 1647) Mughal, 1640 Brush drawing with light applications of pigment and gold on paper Image: 9. x 5.5 cm Folio: 19.7 x 15.5 cm An able administrator, Islam Khan Mashhadi was given various leadership responsibilities during his long career, including subadurship of Bengal during the reign of Jahangir and governorship of […]
I’tibar Khan
I’tibar Khan (d.1623) Mughal, 1610-15 Opaque pigments with gold on paper Image: 11.5 x 6 cm Inscription: I’tibar Khan (under I’tibar Khans feet) The subject of this portrait, I’tibar Khan, is mentioned several times in Jahangir’s memoirs. In his youth, he was in the service of Bahadur Khan (also known as Baz Bahadur, the last […]