Portrait of Prince Murad Baksh (1624–1661)

Description

This portrait depicts the Mughal prince Murad Baksh in his early 30s, at the height of his power and promise. He wears a golden coat of honor with fur collar and the swords and shield of a military officer. As the youngest son of Emperor Shah Jahan, he was intimately involved in the struggles for succession. In 1658, he sided with his brother Aurangzeb (1618–1707) against their eldest brother, the crown prince, whom they defeated in a decisive battle that led to the crown prince’s eventual assassination in 1659. Aurangzeb then turned on his youngest brother, Murad Baksh himself, and had him imprisoned and finally executed in 1661.

Provenance

(Imre Schwaiger [1868–1940], London, UK, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1917); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1917–)

Portrait of Prince Murad Baksh (1624–1661)

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c. 1655

Accession Number

1917.1066

Medium

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Dimensions

Overall: 20 x 12 cm (7 7/8 x 4 3/4 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust