1608
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A Courtier, Possibly Khan Alam, Holding a Spinel and a Deccan Sword is a 1608 unspecified by Govardhan, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting shows a courtier wearing a fancy coat, holding a spinel and a sword. He's dressed in a fur-trimmed, fringed velvet coat, which was a sign of wealth. The courtier's portrait was likely made for an imperial album, a collection of likenesses of important people in the emperor's realm. Check out The Cleveland Museum of Art to learn more about this type of artwork.
According to Akbar's court historian, the emperor ordered likenesses to be taken of the grandees of his realm. "An immense album was thus formed: those that have passed away have received a new life, and those who are still alive have immortality promised them." Akbar's son and successor, Jahangir (reigned 1605-27), continued the tradition of commissioning works of lifelike portraiture for inclusion in imperial albums. This courtier wears an opulent fur-trimmed, fringed velvet coat over his belted white tunic and striped pants-the typical Mughal dress derived from their roots among the…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Govardhan (fl. 1595–1640) was a Mughal era Indian painter of the Mughal school of painting. His father Bhavani Das, had been a minor painter in the imperial workshop. Like many other Mughal painters, they were Hindus.…
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