Muhammad Ali Beg
Painting
ca. 1631 (painted)
ca. 1631 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Muhammad ‘Ali Beg was the ambassador sent to the Mughal court by Shah Abbas of Iran, who arrived in time for the court's New Year festival in March 1631. He remained there until October 1633, during which time his portrait was painted by the royal artist, Hashim. The painting is inscribed in Persian ‘likeness of Muhammad Ali Beg, ambassador, the work of Hashim’, possibly by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It was later mounted on a page with margins decorated with flowering plants and insects for inclusion in an album for the emperor.
A copy of this painting, done in the early 19th century and with a border of verses not included in this original, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (55.121.10.27v).
A copy of this painting, done in the early 19th century and with a border of verses not included in this original, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (55.121.10.27v).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Muhammad Ali Beg (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, portrait of Muhammad Ali Beg, by Hashim, opaque watercolour on paper, Mughal, ca. 1631 |
| Physical description | Painting, opaque watercolour on paper, a portrait of Muhammad Ali Beg, Iranian ambassador to the Mughal court, on a green background; the border is decorated with flowers and insects. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | A portrait of Muhammad Ali Beg, Iranian ambassador to the Mughal court, on a green background with streaked sky above and minimal indication of ground; the border is decorated with flowers and insects. |
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Gallery label | MUHAMMAD ALI BEG
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Mughal, by Hashem
c. 1631
IM.25-1925
From the Minto Album
This portrait is inscribed in Persian, the language of the Mughal empire, ‘Likeness of Muhammad Ali Beg ambassador, the work
of Hashem’. Muhammad Ali Beg was sent by Shah Abbas of Iran to the Mughal court and arrived in 1631. Hashem depicts his distinctively Iranian dress, particularly his turban jewels, with careful attention to detail.(27/9/2013) |
| Object history | The folio is from a group of paintings acquired at auction in 1925 where they were sold as "The Minto Album" and subsequently divided between the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin and the V&A. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Muhammad ‘Ali Beg was the ambassador sent to the Mughal court by Shah Abbas of Iran, who arrived in time for the court's New Year festival in March 1631. He remained there until October 1633, during which time his portrait was painted by the royal artist, Hashim. The painting is inscribed in Persian ‘likeness of Muhammad Ali Beg, ambassador, the work of Hashim’, possibly by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It was later mounted on a page with margins decorated with flowering plants and insects for inclusion in an album for the emperor. A copy of this painting, done in the early 19th century and with a border of verses not included in this original, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (55.121.10.27v). |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.25-1925 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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