The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States Department of Islamic Art; Object No. 55.121.10.8
This is a painting showing an important court official Rup Singh, (son of Ram Chand) in the court of Shah Jahan. Govardhan active (1596-1645) has painted this painting when he was part of the royal painting workshop at Delhi. Though his father was part of the workshop, Govardhan was relatively less influenced by his father but more affected by the Hindu-Perso-European influences. He was also Shah Jahan's most important chronicler- A. Okada curator at Guimet Museum, Paris finds him the ‘most penetrating and remarkable portraitist in the imperial atelier’.
Here he has skilfully used ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper in this painting drawn in 1615 AD. This is an excellent example of his attention to detail about how Mughal personnel carried themselves in sixteenth century. The tunic, the dagger, the sword, turban are all standard issue for Mughal personnel. The Hindu influences are visible in the borders of the painting and even near the subject on each side where flower based designs are used. The Persian art traditions also employed the flower and petals and leaf designs for decorative purpose. The draping and surroundings in earthly dull colour is characteristic of Govardhan. The leaf pattern filled tunic is knee length with a heavily patterned front piece paired with a yellow-coloured pajama. The official's face is clearly etched out with a moustache. He is seen wearing just the one gold ornament, two rings on the right hand and earrings. His tunic has leaf prints on. The official has two rings on his right hand which could possibly carry royal insignia on either or both.
To me, this painting is not just a simple portrait of Rup Singh it gives a small glimpse into the life and culture of the Mughal court. Rup Singh is shown standing confidently in his carefully arranged clothes, with his turban, sword, dagger and jewellery. These details make me feel that the artist wanted to show not only what he looked like but also his position and importance at court. The attention given to his face and clothing makes the portrait feel personal and realistic.I also find the floral designs around him interesting because they show how different artistic traditions came together in Mughal painting. The painting makes me think about how a person’s clothes and belongings can tell us a lot about their identity, social position and the society they lived in. Rather than showing Rup Singh in an action scene, the artist has presented him calmly, allowing the viewer to focus on his appearance and character. For me, the painting therefore works as both a portrait of an individual and a visual record of Mughal courtly life. It helps us understand how status, identity and cultural influences were expressed through art during the Mughal period.
