Page from an Album: Portrait of a Deccani Prince (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
This page comes from a 17th- to 18th-century album consisting mainly of portraits of Deccani rulers and Mughals active in the Deccan, along with calligraphy specimens and copies of European prints. Artists from Golconda or from Hyderabad, five miles away, seem to have mass-produced such assemblages to sell in bazaars to Europeans and other travelers. This portrait of an unidentified prince or nobleman standing in a field of flowers against a light green ground is a standard type based on full-length Mughal court portraits. The long sword in the subject’s right hand and the push-dagger tucked in his sash (only the dual-pronged handle is visible) indicate the subject’s military prowess. The sprig in his left hand is, in turn, a conventional visual trope meant to suggest his cultivation and sensitivity.
Golconda School
Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Gift of Paul Mellon
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.