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Portrait of Murad Bakhsh (1624–61)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePortrait of Murad Bakhsh (1624–61), c. 1635; borders c. 1700s. Attributed to Balchand (Indian, active 1595–c. 1650). 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, 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
