The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Portrait of Murad Bakhsh (1624–61)

c. 1635; borders c. 1700s

attributed to Balchand

(Indian, active 1595–c. 1650)
Mughal India, court of Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58)
gum tempera and gold on paper
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.)
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
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.
  • Capt. E. G. Spencer-Churchill [1876–1964], Northwick Park, Gloucestershire, England
    (Christie’s, London, The Northwick Park Collection: The Property of the late Captain E. G. Spencer-Churchill, MC, 24 June 1965, lot 9)
    1965–September 1986
    Robert Moore, Los Angeles, CA, to Ralph Benkaim and Catherine Glynn Benkaim
    1986–2001
    Ralph Benkaim [1914–2001] and Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA
    2001–2013
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer, Beverly Hills, CA, partial sale and gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2013–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Komaroff, Linda, and Sheila Blair. Gifts of the Sultan: The Arts of Giving at the Islamic Courts. [Los Angeles]: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2011. cat. no. 60, p. 226
    Mace, Sonya Rhie, Mohsen Ashtiany, Catherine Glynn, Pedro Moura Carvalho, Marcus Fraser, and Ruby Lal. Mughal Paintings: Art and Stories: the Cleveland Museum of Art. London: D Giles Limited, 2016. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 57, p. 231
  • Raja Deen Dayal: The King of Indian Photographers. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 23, 2023-February 4, 2024).
    Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).
    Gifts of the Sultan. Los Angeles Count Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Museum of Islamic Art, Doha (2011–2012).
  • {{cite web|title=Portrait of Murad Bakhsh (1624–61)|url=false|author=Balchand|year=c. 1635; borders c. 1700s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.327