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A Mughal Prince, Perhaps Danyal, Holding a Sprig of Flowers

Unknown

1585

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance Portrait

Dominant colour

A Mughal Prince, Perhaps Danyal, Holding a Sprig of Flowers is a 1585 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1585 · Mughal Painting
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

A young prince stands in profile, holding a white flower in one hand and prayer beads in the other. He wears a jewel-trimmed robe, a thumb ring, and a small dagger at his waist. This is likely Prince Danyal, Emperor Akbar’s youngest son. The flower and beads hint at his nickname—"Nosegay of Fortune’s Spring"—while the ring marks him as an archer. The painting was made when Mughal art mixed Persian and Indian styles, showing rulers as both warriors and scholars. To see more like this, look up *court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605)*.

The story of this work

Overview

Prince Danyal (1527–1605), the emperor Akbar’s youngest son, is said to have been his favorite. Danyal served his father as a military officer, leading contingents to the Deccan plateau in southern India, until he succumbed to an untimely death of alcoholism; Akbar himself died later that year. Here, Danyal wears the thumb ring of an archer and grasps a white flower in his hand, recalling his epithet, Nosegay of Fortune’s Spring. In his right hand he holds prayer beads. A sword, knife, and dagger hang from his sash. This early Mughal portrait depicts him as he appeared in his mid-teens.

Read the full account in the museum source.