Painting
1556-1605 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Europeans first came to the Mughal empire in the late 1570s. By the early 1600s, there was regular contact between the Mughal court and Portuguese Goa, and merchants and adventurers came overland or by sea from Europe. A few of them took up residence at court. Their presence led to the occasional appearance of European figures in Mughal paintings or on the border decoration of manuscripts.
This painting, which on stylistic grounds dates to about 1610, is unlikely to be a contemporary portrait of a 17th-century European visitor to the Mughal court, however. Details of his dress (the pinked boots and the open-fronted ruff) are seen in European portraits of the 1580s, while the hilt of the rapier may date from as early as the 1560s, suggesting that the Mughal artist used a painting as his model.
This painting, which on stylistic grounds dates to about 1610, is unlikely to be a contemporary portrait of a 17th-century European visitor to the Mughal court, however. Details of his dress (the pinked boots and the open-fronted ruff) are seen in European portraits of the 1580s, while the hilt of the rapier may date from as early as the 1560s, suggesting that the Mughal artist used a painting as his model.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Painted in opaque watercolour and gold on paper |
| Brief description | Painting, portrait of a European, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Mughal, 1556-1605 (Akbar period) |
| Physical description | Painting, in opaque watercolour and gold on paper, of a European standing in an Indian landscape. He is bearded and wears a black velvet hat, red velvet doublet over a shirt with open-fronted white ruff, and baggy orange trousers tucked into his soft leather boots. He has a green cloak draped over one shoulder, and rests his right hand on a straight-bladed sword. |
| Dimensions |
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| Content description | A European standing in an Indian landscape. He is bearded and wears a black velvet hat, red velvet doublet over a shirt with open-fronted white ruff, and baggy orange trousers tucked into his soft leather boots. He has a green cloak draped over one shoulder, and rests his right hand on a straight-bladed sword. |
| Style | |
| Credit line | Purchased from Imre Schwaiger, Esq. |
| Object history | The painting was bought by the museum in 1914 from the renowned Hungarian dealer Mr Imre Schwaiger who was residing in India. Purchased from the dealer Imre Schwaiger, Esq., 39, Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, W. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project. R.P. 1914-2839M and R.P. 1913-2907M |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Europeans first came to the Mughal empire in the late 1570s. By the early 1600s, there was regular contact between the Mughal court and Portuguese Goa, and merchants and adventurers came overland or by sea from Europe. A few of them took up residence at court. Their presence led to the occasional appearance of European figures in Mughal paintings or on the border decoration of manuscripts. This painting, which on stylistic grounds dates to about 1610, is unlikely to be a contemporary portrait of a 17th-century European visitor to the Mughal court, however. Details of his dress (the pinked boots and the open-fronted ruff) are seen in European portraits of the 1580s, while the hilt of the rapier may date from as early as the 1560s, suggesting that the Mughal artist used a painting as his model. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.386-1914 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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