Subject: ahadi 'single' heavy cavalryman

Culture: Mughal-Rajput

Setting: Great Mughal empire, Hindustan/Deccan late 16th-early 18thc

Brooklyn Museum > South and South-East Asia *

"Hardas, Son of Anup Chatar (Indian, active 17th century) Portrait of a Man

India, Aurangzeb period, late 17th century Color wash on paper ...

Reclining against a large pillow, a bearded man with a turban holds a huqqa pipe in his right hand and a flower in his left. On the cushion next to him are a dagger and more flowers. The sitter's name is not provided, but inscriptions on the reverse indicate that he had previously been a trustworthy imperial soldier, that he might have been born in the Deccan region of central India, and that he was an official of the court of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in charge of music and other performing arts. The profile in this portrait was probably used by court artists as a template to add the sitter to scenes commemorating royal events."

Chester Beatty Library *

"Facing Pages Two folios from the Minto Album

Paintings by Hashim (left) and Govardhan (right)

Borders signed Harif (right) c. 1620, Agra, India ...

When an album is assembled, different artworks face one another on every page-opening.

The borders unite the arrangement, by following a single design.

"These deep blue borders are painted with gold garden details of flowering plants and flying insects.

On the left is a formal portrait of Shahnavaz Khan Safavi (d. 1659), whose family came to India from Iran.

Shah Jahan wrote a note about him on the left margin.

"On the right is a lightly-painted scene of travellers resting at an encampment, enjoying music together."