Artwork Page for A Mughal courtier

Details / Information for A Mughal courtier

A Mughal courtier

c. 1575; border added probably 1700s

Mughal India, court of Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)
Medium
Gum tempera and gold on paper, mounted with gold-sprinkled borders
Credit Line
Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.294
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

This sensitive portrait is among the earliest surviving individual portraits from the Mughal atelier. He remains unidentified by inscription, since such portraits were made for the emperor Akbar who was unable to read. Realism in portraiture developed under Akbar as a means of keeping records of gifts and promotions without written notations. The figure conspicuously grasps the maroon and gold scarf in his left hand, which suggests that it may have been the gift from the emperor that would have occasioned the portrait. The array of blades he carries indicates that he was conscripted into military service at the Mughal court.
A vertically oriented gum tempera and gold painting depicts a man with a medium-light skin tone in profile facing left. He wears a white turban and a pale pink tunic over a jagged white garment. A long red sash drapes over his shoulders, while a green sash holds daggers at his waist. He holds a yellow cone and carries a sword. Gold-flecked borders frame the figure against a tan background.

A Mughal courtier

c. 1575; border added probably 1700s

Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

See Also

  • Collection
    Indian
  • Department
    Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Type of artwork
    Painting
  • Medium
    Ink on paper
  • Credit line
    Gift In Honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by Exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection

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