{
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"tombstone": "A Courtier, Possibly Khan Alam, Holding a Spinel and a Deccan Sword, c. 1605\u201310. Attributed to Govardhan (Indian, active c.1596\u20131645). Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper, text on verso; page: 17.8 x 12.5 cm (7 x 4 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, 2013.323",
"current_location": null,
"title": "A Courtier, Possibly Khan Alam, Holding a Spinel and a Deccan Sword",
"creation_date": "c. 1605\u201310",
"creation_date_earliest": 1600,
"creation_date_latest": 1615,
"artists_tags": [
"male"
],
"culture": [
"Mughal India"
],
"technique": "gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper, text on verso",
"support_materials": [],
"department": "Indian and Southeast Asian Art",
"collection": "Indian Art - Mughal",
"type": "Painting",
"measurements": "Page: 17.8 x 12.5 cm (7 x 4 15/16 in.)",
"dimensions": {
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"height": 0.178,
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"painting only": {
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"width": 0.098,
"width_inch": 3,
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},
"text field": {
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"inscriptions": [
{
"inscription": "Verso: A tahshiyya (marginal addendum) in rhymed prose from the Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa\u2018di (Persian, 1210\u20131291) and the Nafahat al-Uns (Breaths of Fellowship) of Abd al-Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414\u20131492), c. 1605,\nAbd al-Rahim, the Anbarin-Qalam (Indian, active c. 1590\u20131630), \nMughal court; \n\nIn nast\u2019aliq script:\nO Lord of the all dominions Praise and thanks to God\u2014may he be honored and glorified!\u2014whose worship brings one closer to him and giving thanks [to him] increases his bounty. [Each breath] that one inhales, prolongs life, and when exhaled a rejuvenation of the soul. Thus each breath contains two blessings, and on each blessing gratitude is due. Who is able, by word or deed, to fulfill the task of paying him due thanks? It is more apt for his slaves to seek at the Divine court pardon for their shortcomings, for what truly is worth his lordship none can render adequately.\n\nPersian verses from the Nafahat al-uns quoting a poem by the mystic Sheikh Ruzbihan of Shiraz (Persian, 1128\u20131209), in nast\u2019aliq script:\nThat which has not been visible to the eye of time;\nThat which has not been audible to the ears of the earth;\nHas manifested itself in the clay of my being.\nCome at once and see it in my clay.This page has been written as marginalia to the book Mir\u2019at al-quds [Mirror of Holiness],written by the wretched Abd al-Rahim Anbarin-Qalam, may God forgive his sins.",
"inscription_translation": null,
"inscription_remark": null,
"sortorder": null
}
],
"exhibitions": {
"current": [],
"legacy": [
{
"description": "Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 31, 2013-June 30, 2014).",
"opening_date": "2013-12-31T00:00:00"
}
]
},
"provenance": [
{
"description": "(Terence McInerney Fine Arts, New York, NY, sold to Ralph and Catherine Glynn Benkaim)",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": [],
"date": "?-November 1985",
"sortorder": 1
},
{
"description": "Ralph Benkaim [1914-2001] and Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": [],
"date": "November 1985-2013",
"sortorder": 2
},
{
"description": "The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": [],
"date": "2013-",
"sortorder": 3
}
],
"find_spot": null,
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"former_accession_numbers": [],
"did_you_know": null,
"description": "According to Akbar's court historian, the emperor ordered likenesses to be taken of the grandees of his realm. \"An immense album was thus formed: those that have passed away have received a new life, and those who are still alive have immortality promised them.\" Akbar's son and successor, Jahangir (reigned 1605-27), continued the tradition of commissioning works of lifelike portraiture for inclusion in imperial albums. This courtier wears an opulent fur-trimmed, fringed velvet coat over his belted white tunic and striped pants-the typical Mughal dress derived from their roots among the nomadic horse-riding people of Central Asia. The artist has reveled in creating the soft textures of the facial hair, fur and fabrics. He holds a ruby-like gemstone called a spinel, which was prized among the Mughals for its talismanic properties of protection during battle.",
"external_resources": {
"wikidata": [
"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60481749"
],
"internet_archive": [
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},
"citations": [
{
"citation": "Mace, Sonya Rhie, Mohsen Ashtiany, Catherine Glynn, Pedro Moura Carvalho, Marcus Fraser, and Ruby Lal. Mughal Paintings: Art and Stories: the Cleveland Museum of Art. London: D Giles Limited, 2016.",
"page_number": "cat. 42, p. 24, 227",
"url": null
}
],
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"creditline": "Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection",
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"Verso: A tahshiyya (marginal addendum) in rhymed prose from the Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa\u2018di (Persian, 1210\u20131291) and the Nafahat al-Uns (Breaths of Fellowship) of Abd al-Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414\u20131492)"
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"updated_at": "2026-05-01 06:53:23.711000"
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