Mughal Emperor Akbar Painting
Fine Framed Portrait on Ivory of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1555-1605AD)
Delhi, India
circa 1850
height: 9cm
This very fine painting of the Mughal emperor Akbar has been executed on a slither of ivory sheet. The emperor is bejewelled and a hunting falcon rests on his gloved hand.
The painting sits below a thin sheet of protective glass and has a gilt frame.
Such paintings on ivory were done in Delhi around the middle of the 19th century. They were produced for English expatriates as keepsakes. This example is particularly fine.
The example here is unusually fine and is based on a much-copied image at the time. See the cover of Akhtar (2002) for an almost identical example dated to around 1850 and executed on paper.
References
Akhtar, N., Islamic Art of India, Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia, 2002.
Provenance
UK art market
Inventory no.: 3542
SOLD
The gold foil sheet is visible beneath the beads, as shown in this image.
