Standing figure of an officer thumbnail 1
Standing figure of an officer thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Standing figure of an officer

Painting
ca. 1628 - ca. 1658 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, a Mughal officer of mature years stands facing to the left set against a blue-green ground which rises up to a sky-line streaked in gold, mauve and light reds with cream-coloured clouds. In the foreground the figure stands on a green ground on which grow naturalistically rendered flowering plants. An additional strip of paper (c.0.5 cm) has been added along the lower edge and painted in an olive green.
The man has a moustache and a short beard which is greying along the jaw-line up to close-cropped hair beneath an orange and green turban crossed with a grey and cream striped band. A cameo with a pendant pearl is attached at the front. He wears an ivory-coloured jama with orange edgings and lappets under his right arm. His patka is gold with a half-drop pattern of pink flowers above a mauve band and gold fringe. He has a punch dagger (katar) thrust through his patka ornamented in chevron bands of green, red and white as is the straight talwar sword in a purple sheath which is hung from his waist. He also has a rounded black shield with six ornamental bosses hanging from a strap slung round his neck. His paijama are gold with purple tulip-like flowers worn above a pair of maroon-coloured shoes.
The frame is made of plain dark blue paper strips and the ivory-coloured border is decorated with alternate lilies and poppies, lacking the usual outlining and detailing in gold seen in the majority of the similar floral borders in the album. Moreover, in this border the central petal of the lily flowers points upwards above two pairs of dark green leaves. The page is edged with strips of buff-coloured paper. A strip of beige-coloured woven textile has been stuck over the abraded remains of the inner paper margin to act as a gutter for the binding of the album. The edges of the page have been gilded.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleStanding figure of an officer (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Brief description
Painting, Small Clive Album p. 11, officer, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, ca. 1628-1658
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, a Mughal officer of mature years stands facing to the left set against a blue-green ground which rises up to a sky-line streaked in gold, mauve and light reds with cream-coloured clouds. In the foreground the figure stands on a green ground on which grow naturalistically rendered flowering plants. An additional strip of paper (c.0.5 cm) has been added along the lower edge and painted in an olive green.
The man has a moustache and a short beard which is greying along the jaw-line up to close-cropped hair beneath an orange and green turban crossed with a grey and cream striped band. A cameo with a pendant pearl is attached at the front. He wears an ivory-coloured jama with orange edgings and lappets under his right arm. His patka is gold with a half-drop pattern of pink flowers above a mauve band and gold fringe. He has a punch dagger (katar) thrust through his patka ornamented in chevron bands of green, red and white as is the straight talwar sword in a purple sheath which is hung from his waist. He also has a rounded black shield with six ornamental bosses hanging from a strap slung round his neck. His paijama are gold with purple tulip-like flowers worn above a pair of maroon-coloured shoes.
The frame is made of plain dark blue paper strips and the ivory-coloured border is decorated with alternate lilies and poppies, lacking the usual outlining and detailing in gold seen in the majority of the similar floral borders in the album. Moreover, in this border the central petal of the lily flowers points upwards above two pairs of dark green leaves. The page is edged with strips of buff-coloured paper. A strip of beige-coloured woven textile has been stuck over the abraded remains of the inner paper margin to act as a gutter for the binding of the album. The edges of the page have been gilded.
Dimensions
  • Central painting height: 21.5cm
  • Central painting width: 11.4cm
  • Page height: 35.5cm
  • Page width: 23.5cm
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
'6' (Inscribed in pencil on the top right hand corner of the border)
Credit line
Gift of Mr. John Goelet
Object history
This miniature painting is part of the Small Clive Album of Indian miniatures which is thought to have been given by Shuja ud-Daula, the Nawab of Avadh, to Lord Clive during his last visit to India in 1765-67. It contains 62 leaves on which are Mughal miniature paintings, drawing and flower studies on both sides. The binding is covered with an Indian brocade silk that may have been cut from lengths brought home by the 2nd Lord Clive, who served as Governor of Madras, 1799 to 1803. The album was sold from Powis Castle at Sotheby's sale, 16 to 18 January 1956, lot 332A.
The sitter has been identified as Abdu'l Hadi (died1647), mir bakhshi to Shah Jahan, a post which oversaw all mansab( rank) awards and intelligence. An Iranian who arrived at court after 1613, he was a military commander who was given the title Asalat Khan in 1630, becoming mir bakhshi to Shah Jahan, a post which oversaw all mansab (rank) awards and intelligence. See Stronge, 2002, p.158, in which the author dates the painting to ca.1640-1647, pointing out, however, the archaic style of the painting which relates to the middle of Jahanghir's reign. Although the flowering plants are in this style, the costume details in the half-drop repeat textile patterns belong to the reign of Shah Jehan.
An alternative identification for the sitter is that of Baqir Khan Najm Sani, another Iranian, who achieved office under Jahanghir from 1612 rising from faujdar (commandant) in Multan to governorships of Multan, Agra, Awadh, Orissa, Gujarat, Delhi, Jaunpur and finally of Allahabad where he died in 1637-1638 (AH1047). See Colnaghi, Persian and Indian Miniatures, 1976, p.196, no. 124 and Falk,T and Archer, M., Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, 1981, Sotheby Parke Bernet, London,p.378, fig.67
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic reference
Stronge, SusanPainting for the Mughal Emperor:The Art of the Book 1560-1660, V&A Publications, London, 2002, p.158, pl.121, note 51
Collection
Accession number
IS.48:6/A-1956

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdOctober 2, 2003
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest