Portrait of Prince Murad Baksh (1624–1661)

c. 1655

Mughal India, court of Shah Jahan

(1627–58)

Medium

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Measurements

Overall: 20 x 12 cm (7 7/8 x 4 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.1066

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Location

Not on view

Description

This portrait depicts the Mughal prince Murad Baksh in his early 30s, at the height of his power and promise. He wears a golden coat of honor with fur collar and the swords and shield of a military officer. As the youngest son of Emperor Shah Jahan, he was intimately involved in the struggles for succession. In 1658, he sided with his brother Aurangzeb (1618–1707) against their eldest brother, the crown prince, whom they defeated in a decisive battle that led to the crown prince’s eventual assassination in 1659. Aurangzeb then turned on his youngest brother, Murad Baksh himself, and had him imprisoned and finally executed in 1661.