A portrait of Baqir Khan, Mughal, circa 1635, with borders from a royal album made for Shah Jahan, Mughal, circa 1640-58

gouache with gold on paper, inscription at lower left "Baqir Khan Najm al-Sani", floral borders from the Late Shah Jahan Album

P & D Colnaghi and Co. Ltd., London, 1976.
Ex-collection Maurice and Edmond de Rothschild.

Wonders of a Golden Age, Zurich, 1987.

I. Stchoukine, Portraits Moghuls, IV, La Collection du Baron Maurice de Rothschild, Renne des arts asiatiques, tome VI, 1929-30, no IV, pp. 212-241, no.X.
T. Falk, Persian and Mughal Art, P & D Colnaghi and Co. Ltd., London, 1976, no. 124, p.196, Ill. p.218.
B.N. Goswamy & E. Fischer, Wonders of a Golden Age, Zurich, 1987, pp.147-48, no.72.
T. Falk and M. Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, London, 1981, p.71, no.67, (referenced).

The central image laid down on an album page, patches of discoloration around figure, notably to sky, part of grass rubbed, most probably due to the adhesive used when the paper was originally fixed to the album page, the face and clothes of figure detailed and in good condition, borders also with some discoloration, external border cut down, gold and flowers bright, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Baqir Khan (d.1637), a descendant of Yar Ahmad of Isfahan, was a senior courtier and officer under both Jahangir and Shah Jahan who was married to Jahangir's sister-in-law Khadija Begum. At different stages of his career he was garrison commander or governor at Agra, Multan, Oudh, Orissa, Gujarat and Allahabad, where he died in 1637. Another portrait of Baqir Khan at a slightly younger age is in the British Library (India Office Collections, Johnson Album 25, no.9, see Falk and Archer 1981, no.67, pp.71, 378). The inscription at the lower left includes a title "Najm al-Sani" ("The Second Star"). Goswamy and Fischer note that Steingass's Persian-English dictionary lists Najm al-Sani as a title given to an emir of Shah Isma'il Safavi of Persia and transferred to his descendants, possibly the origin of Baqir Khan's title (see Goswamy and Fischer 1987, p.147). For further information on Baqir Khan and this portrait, see published references above.

The exquisite borders originate from an album prepared for Shah Jahan known as the 'Late Shah Jahan Album'. This and other closely related albums have long been admired for their ravishingly fine borders decorated with flowers, birds, floral scrolls or trellises, animals and human figures. The most recent research suggests a date for the preparation of the Late Shah Jahan Album of circa 1650-58, right at the end of the emperor's reign (Wright 2008, pp.107-139, 366-411).