The Death of Inayat Khan

The Death of Inayat Khan (The Dying Inayat Khan) is an acclaimed Mughal miniature painting dating back to 1618 1. It is regarded as one among the most impressively realistic works of art in Indian history and is believed to be attributed to Balchand, the court painter of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The painting is regarded to exist today only due to the formal order of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. In his autobiography Jahangirnama (or Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri), Jahangir mentions the origins of the work:Inayat Khan, who was a close confidant and follower of Jahangir, had a long-standing addiction to opium and alcohol, which created severe complications for him at the end of his life. Before he departed, Jahangir was horrified at the look of his aide and noted that he looked to him like "skin stretched over a skeleton". The ruler was so intrigued by the horrifying manifestation of the degeneration of man that he instantly ordered his officials to immortalize the face of Khan before he left. After his death, Jahangir instructed Khan to dedicate himself to Prayer, presenting him with a thousand rupees for his trip to Mecca. On the next day, that is on October 10, 1618 Inayat Khan died. The way that Balchand represented the episode does not display the classic aristocratic lavishness but surprises with a unique understanding of anatomy and the psychological state of the being that he is depicting. Inayat Khan’s torso is naked and this shows his ruined shoulders' structure and his prominent ribs under the thin layer of his skin. He is shown lying on the charpai support with a very big degree of obliquity due to covered pillows and cushions under his head and legs. As compared to earlier historical court paintings which showed the grandeur of the empire through victories in wars, abundance, and divine imagery, The Death of Inayat Khan stands apart as a powerful example of stringent realism. Balchand adeptly created a significant onlooker portrayal which successfully counterpoised both restrained respect and precise physical observation, thereby representing the heaviness and eerie vulnerability of human death. Balchand was a truly remarkable and skillful master artist in the Mughal royal studio and left the significant impression on three emperors (Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan). His style considerably developed throughout his long great career that spanned around 50 years. He changed the style of Mughal painting from its earlier energetic and narrative nature of the works created in the 16th century to the highly professional art of the mid-17th century. Unlike other artists that tended to idealize royalty, Balchand was an exceptionally observant artist who depicted natural character of the subjects in his paintings.