Loading

Portrait of Asaf Khan (1569–1641), from the Late Shah Jahan Album

c. 1653

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

Asaf Khan, born in Iran, was a general and close advisor to Mughal emperors Jahangir (reigned 1605–27) and Shah Jahan (reigned 1627–58). He was also Jahangir’s brother-in-law and Shah Jahan’s father-in-law.
The figures in the borders show that Asaf Khan was both a scholar and a soldier. At the top, mullahs (learned Muslim clerics) with books gesture in discourse, while two soldiers converse at ease below. Three retainers stand at the side presenting a sword, a vase of narcissus, a bow, and arrows. He has strapped on a sheathed sword and tucked a stabbing dagger and book into his elegantly embroidered floral sash.

Show lessRead more
Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.
  • Title: Portrait of Asaf Khan (1569–1641), from the Late Shah Jahan Album
  • Date Created: c. 1653
  • Physical Dimensions: Image: 19 x 11.9 cm (7 1/2 x 4 11/16 in.); Overall: 38 x 24.8 cm (14 15/16 x 9 3/4 in.); with mat: 49 x 36.3 cm (19 5/16 x 14 5/16 in.)
  • Provenance: Demotte (?), (Mrs. Adrienne Minassian [1913–1994], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1945.168
  • Medium: Gum tempera and gold on paper
  • Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Culture: Mughal India, court of Shah Jahan (1627–58)
  • Credit Line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
  • Collection: Indian Art
  • Accession Number: 1945.168
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites