A standing portrait of a nobleman, possibly Asaf Khan, attributable to Bishandas or Nanha, Mughal, circa 1610-15

gouache heightened with gold on paper, ruled in colours and gold, laid down on an album page with margins decorated with gold birds within foliage

Sotheby's, London, 12 December 1966, lot 58

In good overall condition, light horizontal abrasions to lower section of painting, as viewed.
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This miniature is close in style to the work of Bishandas and Nanha. The pertinent aspects of Bishandas's style here are use of shadowy, dark faces and hands and a certain intensity. However, an attribution to his uncle, the painter Nanha, is also possible, and in style the present work resembles two by Nanha in the Kevorkian Album, one depicting Sayf Khan Barha, the other Raja Bhim Singh, in which the same dusky features and use of shadow are employed - even the facial profile is rather similar between the two Nanha works and the present portrait, despite their being different sitters (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 55.121.10.4v and 55.121.10.2v, see Welch et al. 1987, pp.123, 151, nos.21, 33). If the present work does indeed represent Asaf Khan, then it is an early portrait and may have been painted at the time of Jahangir’s marriage to his sister Nur Jahan in 1611, when Asaf Khan was forty-two. However, the face here bears only a passing resemblance to Asaf Khan, who, even when young had a fuller, more thick-set face and noticeably paler skin. It is possible that the portrait in fact represents the aforementioned Sayf Khan Barha, whose portrait was painted by Nanha around 1610-15 and whose features and skin tone are close to those of the present portrait (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 55.121.10.4v; see Welch et al 1987, pp.122-123, no.21).

Asaf Khan (1569-1641) was the brother of Nur Jahan, the wife of Jahangir. He succeeded his own father, I’timad al-Daula, as vizier at the end of Jahangir’s reign, by which time he had married his daughter, Mumtaz Mahal, to the future Emperor Shah Jahan. He was thus one of the most intimately connected noblemen at the Mughal court, brother-in-law to one emperor, father-in-law to another. Jahangir bestowed on him the titles I’tiqad Khan (1611-12) and Asaf Khan (1614-15) and, as First Lord of the Realm and Commander-in-Chief under Shah Jahan, he became Yamin al-Daula (1627-28) and Khan Khanan Sipahsalar (1634-35), with a mansab (rank) of 9000, the highest ever attained. On his death in 1641, Shah Jahan gave instructions "... that he should be buried close to the late Emperor Jahangir’s mausoleum, and a lofty domed edifice should be erected over his tomb." (Begley-Desai 1990, p.282). He left a vast and valuable estate, receiving numerous mentions and much praise in both the Tusuk-i-Jahangiri and the Shah Jahan Nama. For Asaf Khan, see Beveridge-Prashad 1911-41, pp.287-295; Leach 1995, vol.I, pp.451-3; Welch et al. 1987, pp.299-303. Among the many works that include a portrait of Asaf Khan, the majority show him in old age with a fuller grey beard and a rather aquiline nose. Those that show him earlier in life (some retrospectively) include: Leach 1995, vol.I, pp.451-3, no.3.63; Beach, Koch and Thackston 1997, pp.92-97, 198-203, nos.37-39.

Sayf Khan Barha (Sayyid Ali Asghar) was from the family of Barha Sayyids, who played an influential role in Mughal court circles. He was a favourite of Jahangir and in 1606 Jahangir recorded in the Janhangirnama that "I have bestowed on 'Ali Asghar Barha, who has not a rival in bravery and zeal, ... the title of Sayf Khan and thus distinguished him among his equals and peers. He seems to be a very brave youth and was always one of those few confidants who went with me on hunts and other places." (Jahangirnama, p.19, quoted in Welch et al 1987, p.122). He distinguished himself in battle on several occasions, fought with Prince Khusrau in the campaign against Amar Singh of Mewar and went on campaign in the Deccan with Prince Parviz. He died young, of cholera, in 1616.

Bishandas, the nephew of the painter Nanha, began his career under Akbar around 1589-90, contributing to the Baburnama (Victoria and Albert Museum, IM.276,276a-1913, the well-known double-page illustration of Babur supervising the laying out of the Bagh-e Wafa ('Garden of Fidelity'), see Stronge 2002, pp.90-91, pl.59). He quickly became respected for his skills as a portraitist and in 1600 moved with Prince Salim to Allahabad, continuing in his employ after Salim succeeded to the throne as Emperor Jahangir (r.1605-27). He was one of only five artists to receive a mention in the Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (translated by Rogers 1909 (reprint 1989), vol.II, pp.116-7), where Jahangir writes that he was "unequalled in his age for taking likenesses". He was selected by Jahangir to travel with his embassy to Shah Abbas of Persia in 1613 in order to take likenesses of the Shah and his court. He continued painting for Shah Jahan (r.1627-58), his career coming to an end around 1640. For further discussion of Bishandas and examples of his work see Beach 1978, pp.107-111; Das in Das et al. 1998, pp.112-133; Leach 1995, vol.II, pp.1100-01; Okada 1992, pp.154-163; Das in Beach, Fischer and Goswamy 2011, pp.259-278.

Nanha, uncle of Bishandas, was himself a highly skilled and innovative artist. Leach (1995, vol.II, p.114) notes that he merits inclusion in Abu'l Fazl's list of eminent Mughal artists. His career began during Akbar's reign, when he contributed to the Darabnama, the Timurnama, the Jaipur Razmnama, the Baburnama and the Chingiznama. His early delicate style developed in Jahangir's reign into a more rich and confident but nevertheless delicate mode that was well suited to portraiture, in which context he painted several of Jahangir's courtiers. He may be synonymous with the artist Kanha. For further discussion see Leach 1995, p.1114, Welch et al. 1987, pp.122, 148, 151, 194-5; Beach 1978, pp.149-50.