Artwork Page for Portrait of a kneeling holy man, from the Prince Salim Album

Details / Information for Portrait of a kneeling holy man, from the Prince Salim Album

Portrait of a kneeling holy man, from the Prince Salim Album

c. 1556–60; border c. 1602
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attributed to Mir Sayyid Ali

(Persian, active in Iran 1540s–50, active in India 1555–1580)
Culture
Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper, laid down on an album page with cream borders decorated with gold flowers and geometric motifs
Measurements
Painting: 12 x 7.1 cm (4 3/4 x 2 13/16 in.); Overall: 23.3 x 14.9 cm (9 3/16 x 5 7/8 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 2013.295
Public Domain
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Location
242B Indian Painting
Print
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Did You Know?

In this sensitive portrayal of a charlatan holy man, the eyes are pale and empty.

Description

The kneeling figure is a charlatan holy man who wears the blue robe of a Sufi mystic. According to the inscriptions above and below the painting, he acts humble and pious for monetary gain rather than sincerity of devotion. Images of charlatan holy men recur in Mughal painting, including in the Cleveland Tuti-Nama.

Mir Sayyid Ali was the first head of the Mughal workshop under Akbar. He was responsible for training Indian artists to adopt Persian sensibilities, admired by elites of the Islamic world during the 1400s to at least the 1700s.
Vertically oriented painting depicting a kneeling man with light skin tone wearing a light blue robe that completely covers his legs and his hands, folded in his lap. He has a brown beard, lights eyes, a white turban wrapped around his head, and sits in front of a solid orange background. Bands of Persian script run above and below the central image. Pale green and cream rectangles frame the image, decorated with floral patterns.

Portrait of a kneeling holy man, from the Prince Salim Album

c. 1556–60; border c. 1602

Mir Sayyid Ali

(Persian, active in Iran 1540s–50, active in India 1555–1580)
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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