Portrait of Itimad Al-dawla

Object Details

• Artist

  Attributed to Balchand

• Court

  Mughal Court

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Label

  Itimad Al-dawla, whose actual name was Ghiyath Beg, was originally from Iran and had served under Akbar. Upon ascending the throne in 1905, Jahangir appointed him the head of the Treasury and gave him the honorific title, Itimad Al-dawla, which literally means "Trusted of the State." After Jahangir's marriage to his daughter, Nur Jahan, in 1611, Itimad Al-dawla became even more powerful in the court, and the affairs of the state were handled by Nur Jahan, her father, and brother, Asaf Khan. It was Itimad Al-dawla's granddaughter, Mumtaz Mahal (the daughter of Asaf Khan) who became the beloved wife of Shah Jahan. Itimad al-dawla died in January 1622 and was buried in a white marble mausoleum in Agra built by his daughter.

  The portrait represents the subject as an elderly minister, holding a sheet of paper. Several versions of this portrait are known to exist, including an 18th century copy owned by the Freer Gallery of Art (F1907.253). It has been suggested that this portrait is also a later copy of an original which is now lost.

  The inscription on the right states that "This is a good portrait of Itimad Al-dawla, the work of Balchand." This artist was employed by Akbar and continued to work in the court under Jahangir. Balchand's paintings appear in literary and historical manuscripts; his portraits of the emperors and the members of the court are found in imperial albums.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  At the Margins (June 4 to November 30, 1997)

  South and South East Asian Art (May 9, 1993 to February 7, 2000)

  Indian Art (January 1, 1963 to January 28, 1981)

• Origin

  India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1600s, 1650s

• Name

  Balchand

• Place

  India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Reign of Jahangir (1605 - 1627), Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Portraits, Poetry, Flowers

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Language

  Nasta?li-q script

• Object Type

  Paintings