Abd al-Rahim, Khan Khanan

Mir Hashim also known as Hashim, was one of the most popular and leading miniature painters of the Mughal period. He was an eminent part of Akbar's painting workshop known as tasvirkhana which was mainly known for its popularisation and propagation of collaborative paintings where there used to be a master painter who would sketch out the layout and another master painter who would fill out the painting. However he mainly worked under Jahangir and Shah jahan's ateliers. He is also one of the most popular and celebrated painters of the Mughal empire.Being a miniature artist, his main point of focus in his artworks were singular figure portraits of emperors, nobles, ambassadors and other important political figures. The given painting is a portrait of Abdul Rahim Khan Khanan (also known as Khan-i-Khana, son of Bairam Khan, later Akbar became his gurdian. A person who was extremely influential and powerful has now been a victim of old age. Hashim thorugh his flowy brushstrokes has depicted him in a staunch yet sensitive manner. He has also used his typical representation of using a plain or softly tinted background to bring out the subject's expression and posture, thus making it instantly recognizable as his work.