Portrait of Murad Bakhsh (1624–61)

c. 1635; borders c. 1700s

attributed to Balchand

(Indian, active 1595–c. 1650)

Culture

Mughal India, court of Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58)

Medium

gum tempera and gold on paper

Measurements

Overall: 28.4 x 25.7 cm (11 3/16 x 10 1/8 in.); Painting: 4.3 x 3.5 cm (1 11/16 x 1 3/8 in.)

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 2013.327

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

This portrait belonged to a cousin of Sir Winston Churchill.

Description

The miniature portrait of a Mughal prince is now mounted on an album page. Originally, it was in a gemstone setting as a “portrait jewel” to be worn by family and supporters at court. India’s ruling elite had been wearing portrait jewels since Sir Thomas Rowe (about 1581–1655) presented British portrait miniatures and cameos to the Mughal emperor as part of a diplomatic gift in 1616, when he successfully negotiated for British access to India’s ports.