Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of Prince Murad Baksh (1624–1661)

Date

c. 1655

Medium

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Culture

Mughal India, court of Shah Jahan (1627–58)

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This portrait depicts the Mughal prince Murad Baksh in his early 30s, at the height of his power and promise. He wears a golden coat of honor with fur collar and the swords and shield of a military officer. As the youngest son of Emperor Shah Jahan, he was intimately involved in the struggles for succession. In 1658, he sided with his brother Aurangzeb (1618–1707) against their eldest brother, the crown prince, whom they defeated in a decisive battle that led to the crown prince’s eventual assassination in 1659. Aurangzeb then turned on his youngest brother, Murad Baksh himself, and had him imprisoned and finally executed in 1661.

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