The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

Portrait of an Aging Man

c. 1700

Northern India, Himachal Pradesh, Guler

Ink and gum tempera on paper
Overall: 18 x 13.3 cm (7 1/16 x 5 1/4 in.)
Cornelia Blakemore Warner Fund 1968.41
Location: Not on view

Description

This sensitive portrait survives as a fragment, part of a study for a larger painting. This man’s Mughal tunic, with a katar dagger tucked into the sash, indicates that he is a noble, probably Hindu, because the tunic is tied under the left arm. The gesture of his right hand—just a ghost of an indication—and slightly parted lips suggest that he is making a request. His upright posture reveals an inner strength and dignity despite the affliction to his eyes, which seem no longer able to see.
  • ?-1968
    (Kasmin Gallery, London, UK, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1968-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Dwivedi, Vinod P. “A Rasamanjari Painting from Basohli.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 56, no. 7, 1969, pp. 262–268. Reproduced: fig. 8 25152284
    Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. Reproduced: Reproduced: cat. no. 112
  • Indian Gallery 242 Rotation – April-November 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 2-November 18, 2018).
    Portraiture: The Image of the Individual. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1983-January 22, 1984).
    Year in Review for 1968. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 29-March 9, 1969).
  • {{cite web|title=Portrait of an Aging Man|url=false|author=|year=c. 1700|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1968.41