Cleveland Museum of Art

Jewel Portrait of a Young Girl

Date

c. 1660

Medium

ink drawing with slight accents of color

Culture

India, Mughal, 17th century

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This small drawing of a young girl wearing a chaghtai cap may be a likeness of a member of a royal or courtly Mughal family. The accuracy of female portraiture is an unresolved issue in Mughal art, as there are many paintings of women that appear to be studies of female beauty rather than visual records of real people. However, because the girl in this painting is not an idealized type, it is more likely that this is a true portrait. Unlike jewel portraits of emperors that were intended to be worn in public as status symbols, this was more likely a private gift of sentimental value.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.