Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a paint painting by the Baroque artist Balchand. It dates from 1630 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The work portrays Emperor Shah Jahan standing in profile, his left hand gripping a fly‑whisk, while two vividly coloured birds of paradise arc above his head. Rendered in a delicate pink robe, the figure is set against a plain background, and the artist’s signature appears in black ink beneath the emperor’s feet.
Subject & Meaning
The composition emphasizes royal authority through the presence of the fly‑whisk, a traditional symbol of sovereign power in Mughal court culture. The birds of paradise, rendered with naturalistic detail, may allude to the emperor’s patronage of the arts and the exotic fauna associated with his reign.
Technique & Style
Executed in fine brushwork on paper, the painting reflects the miniature tradition of Mughal court artists, characterised by precise line, subtle colour modulation, and a focus on courtly portraiture. The artist’s hand is evident in the meticulous rendering of the robe’s folds and the birds’ plumage.
History & Provenance
Signed by the court painter Balchand, the piece was part of a folio that also contained an illuminated calligraphic panel (catalogued as IM.112a‑1921). The folio entered the British Museum collection after Lady Wantage bequeathed it in 1921, alongside other loose folios from the Mughal period.
Context
While some folios in the collection are authentic works from the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, scholars such as Moti Chandra have identified several as later copies, likely produced around the early nineteenth century. Balchand’s signed works remain valuable examples of genuine seventeenth‑century Mughal painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Balchand made delicate portraits for Mughal emperors in the 1600s. Here you can see his *Portrait of Murad Bakhsh* from 1635, where the young prince sits stiffly in pearls and gold, and *Dara Shikoh with his consort*,…
