A Courtier, Possibly Khan Alam, Holding a Spinel and a Deccan Sword
Govardhanc. 1605–10
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
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 nomadic horse-riding people of Central Asia. The artist has reveled in creating the soft textures of the facial hair, fur and fabrics. He holds a ruby-like gemstone called a spinel, which was prized among the Mughals for its talismanic properties of protection during battle.
- Title: A Courtier, Possibly Khan Alam, Holding a Spinel and a Deccan Sword
- Creator: Govardhan (Indian, active c.1596-1645), Abd al-Rahim, the Anbarin-Qalam (Indian, active c. 1590–1630)
- Date Created: c. 1605–10
- Physical Dimensions: Page: 17.8 x 12.5 cm (7 x 4 15/16 in.)
- Provenance: (Terence McInerney Fine Arts, New York, NY, sold to Ralph and Catherine Glynn Benkaim), Ralph Benkaim [1914-2001] and Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Painting
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2013.323
- Medium: gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper, text on verso
- Inscriptions: Verso: A tahshiyya (marginal addendum) in rhymed prose from the Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa‘di (Persian, 1210–1291) and the Nafahat al-Uns (Breaths of Fellowship) of Abd al-Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414–1492), c. 1605, Abd al-Rahim, the Anbarin-Qalam (Indian, active c. 1590–1630), Mughal court; In nast’aliq script: O Lord of the all dominions Praise and thanks to God—may he be honored and glorified!—whose worship brings one closer to him and giving thanks [to him] increases his bounty. [Each breath] that one inhales, prolongs life, and when exhaled a rejuvenation of the soul. Thus each breath contains two blessings, and on each blessing gratitude is due. Who is able, by word or deed, to fulfill the task of paying him due thanks? It is more apt for his slaves to seek at the Divine court pardon for their shortcomings, for what truly is worth his lordship none can render adequately. Persian verses from the Nafahat al-uns quoting a poem by the mystic Sheikh Ruzbihan of Shiraz (Persian, 1128–1209), in nast’aliq script: That which has not been visible to the eye of time; That which has not been audible to the ears of the earth; Has manifested itself in the clay of my being. Come at once and see it in my clay.This page has been written as marginalia to the book Mir’at al-quds [Mirror of Holiness],written by the wretched Abd al-Rahim Anbarin-Qalam, may God forgive his sins.
- Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Culture: Mughal India
- Credit Line: 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
- Collection: Indian Art - Mughal
- Accession Number: 2013.323
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