MUGHAL INDIA, CIRCA 1590

The highly Turkic features of the face are reminiscent of the Emperor Akbar himself. The treatment of the robe derives from 16th century Persian manuscript illumination and suggests that this portrait may have been drawn by a Persian artist working at the Mughal court. This and other elements such as the delicately observed flowers also suggest an attribution to the artist Muhammad 'Ali who was known as an illuminator of manuscripts. It is not known whether he was a Deccani or Mughal painter, but his work exhibits strong Persian influence, while the palette and treatment of the flowers relate to the Deccani painting of Bijapur. Another portrait attributed to Muhammad 'Ali of a young prince on horseback shows his horse trappings painted in a similar style to the robe in the present lot (Canby, S.R.:Princes, poets and paladins,London, 1998, fig.102, pp138-9)

A note on the verso states that this miniature was purchased from Kervorkian in 1913.