A Mughal prince, perhaps the future emperor Bahadur Shah (reigned 1701-1712) or his son Azim al-Shan (front); Page of calligraphy (back)

Prince Azim al-Shan, the governor of Bengal, is shown here holding a flower in one hand and resting his other on the hilt of his sword. Note his jewelry, consisting of pearls and pink spinels. His dagger, tucked into the brocade sash, appears to have an inlaid jade handle. The gold nimbus around his head is typical of paintings made under the reign of the Mughals, as is the overall sumptuous quality of the painting.

Although a scribe labeled this portrait as that of the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah (reigned 1707–1712), it is virtually identical to a known painting of Azim al-Shan, who was Bahadur Shah's son. Such misidentification is quite common, since many albums of portraits included paintings of members of various ruling families. Attributions and titles added later in the margins were sometimes confused among one another. Many albums mimicked those made for the imperial family. Some were even made to sell to European tourists.