Unknown (Currently in a Private Collection auctioned through Christie\'s)
Inayat's career unfolded within Jahangir's court, where he became known for his careful, close-observed studies of animals and plant life rendered at miniature scale. Like many of his contemporaries, his brushwork found a place in imperial manuscript commissions, among them copies of the Anvar-i Suhayli. He is named alongside Aqa Riza, Abu'l Hasan, Mansur, Bishan Das, Manohar, Govardhan, Balchand, Daulat, Mukhlis, and Bhim — the group of painters generally credited with the golden period of Mughal painting under Jahangir.
This particular album folio reflects how that atelier worked collaboratively. At its center is a portrait of Jahangir holding a falcon, painted by the noted portraitist Bishan Das; the surrounding margins are attributed to Inayat. Worked in opaque pigment with gold heightening on paper, these borders show a nilgai and an ibex set within a gilded pastoral scene — a detail that seems to nod toward the falcon's natural prey, while also carrying the emperor's well-known curiosity about the natural world into the page's ornamental framing. On the reverse is calligraphy from the early seventeenth century, written in bold black nasta'liq across four lines with accompanying couplets, set against a gold ground of scrolling floral motifs and bordered in dusty blue with gilded floral interlace, in keeping with the Brabourne-Ardeshir Album. Together, the folio brings Inayat's careful animal studies into dialogue with Bishan Das's skill as a portraitist.
Jahangir’s portrayal holding a trained falcon symbolizes refined dominance, royal prestige, and mastery over nature. The raptor serves as an extension of the emperor’s sharp vision and decisive authority over his realm. The surrounding margins feature meticulous studies of a nilgai and an ibex within a gilded pastoral setting. This framing echoes Jahangir’s well-documented fascination with flora and fauna, illustrating how nature is integrated directly into the ceremonial presentation of the monarch.The artwork highlights the heightened sophistication of the royal atelier. By pairing Bishan Das’s psychological depth in portraiture with Inayat’s precise animal studies, the folio demonstrates how individual artistic specialties were blended to construct a unified image of imperial order, beauty, and refinement.
