"Four Portraits: (upper left) A Raja (Perhaps Raja Sarang Rao), by Balchand; (upper right) 'Inayat Khan, by Daulat; (lower left) 'Abd al-Khaliq, probably by Balchand; (lower right) Jamal Khan Qaravul, by Murad", Folio from the Shah Jahan Album
recto: ca. 1610–15; verso: dated 1541
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Overall page: H. 15 3/16 in. (38.6 cm) W. 10 3/16 in. (25.9 cm) Painting inside border: H. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm) W. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm) All four portraits: H. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm) W. 5 3/16 in. (13.2 cm) Portrait (top left): Ht. 5 5/16 in. (13.5 cm) W. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm) Portrait (top right): Ht. 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm) W. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm) Portrait (bottom left): Ht. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm) W. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm) Portrait (bottom right): Ht. 4 7/16 in. (11.3 cm) W. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Rogers Fund and The Kevorkian Foundation Gift, 1955
Accession Number
55.121.10.29
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite folio from the Shah Jahan Album features four intimate portraits of Mughal-era notables: a raja (possibly Raja Sarang Rao) Balchand in the left, 'Inayat by Daulat in the right, 'Abd alhaliq (likely by Balchand) in the lower left, and Khan Qaravul by Murad in the lower. Created in ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper around 1610–15 (recto) with a verso dated 1541 it exemplifies the refined miniature painting tradition of the Mughal court. Collected during Emperor Shah Jahan's reign (1628–1658), such albums preserved prized artworks, blending portraits from earlier emperors l...
About the Artist
Balachand|Daulat|Murad ( |Indian| ) · |1570 | – |1660 |
active 1595–ca. 1650|Indian, active ca. 1595–1635|