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A Young Prince in a Family Setting

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Bookmark: https://collection.sdmart.org/objects-1/info/5571

A Young Prince in a Family Setting

Creation date: ca. 1600

Creation place: India

Other Information

Type: Watercolor Painting

Medium and Support: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, mounted on an album page

Credit Line: Edwin Binney 3rd Collection

Accession Number: 1990.459

State/Province: Maharashtra or Karnataka

Dimensions: 16 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (42 x 29.3 cm)

Provenance

Mrs. Bengt Rösiö, ( - )

Sotheby's, London, England (December 11, 1961 - December 11, 1961)

Edwin Binney 3rd, San Diego, California (December 11, 1961 - August 27, 1990)

San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California (August 27, 1990 - )

Label Copy

November 1991
Myths, Monsters and Maharajas
The Deccani sultanates Ahmadnagar, Golconda, and Bijapur flourished from pre-Mughal times, but all were forced to submit to Aurangzeb by the end of the seventeenth century. Painting from these Muslim kingdoms is indebted both to the Hindu states to the south and to Safavid Iran and the Ottoman empire, with whom the Deccani kingdoms had close economic and cultural ties.
The school and date are assigned to this painting not only because of the style of figure drawing, but because the young prince wears garments and turban of the style of Ahmadnagar around 1575, known in other paintings. His elaborate gold belt is minus the sword that would have been put through the lower part. This sweet drawing captures a moment of universal familial feeling. Who has not known the delight of a small child bestowing a hug?

February 2004
Binney Rotation 7
Sultans and Sufis: Paintings from the Deccan
The tender gaze of a young girl, who seems fascinated by his gentle perfection, enhances the idealized beauty of this young prince. Subtlety of line imparts a wonderful sense of delicacy to this touching portrait. The prince is attired in Ahmadnagar court costume of the period—loose turban, jama with wide lapels, and Central Asian gold purse. While the exact subject of this work remains a mystery, scholars have suggested that it represents the betrothal of two young royals. Certainly the posture of the male figure, which beckons the child forward, suggests an intimate relationship.

October 2005
Domains of Wonder
The unique style of his turban and ornamental pouch establishes the Deccani origin of the young prince.
The youth's elegant, rounded features, however, attest to Persian influence derived from the Deccan's own links to painting centers of the Middle East.
A verse exalting the beauty of the loved one is inscribed in Persian above and below the tender scene. The identity of the miniaturized girl, who lovingly grips the prince's arm, remains unknown.
Last Updated: 9/5/2017

Exhibition

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Persian and Indian Miniatures from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd The Portland Art Association , 9/28/1962 - 11/29/1962

The Mughal and Deccani Schools: Indian Miniature Painting from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd The Portland Art Association , 12/2/1973 - 3/7/1976

Indian Drawings and Painted Sketches: 16th through 19th Centuries Asia House Gallery , 12/21/1976 - 3/21/1977

Myths, Monsters, Maharajas: Introducing the Binney Collection San Diego Museum of Art , 11/23/1991 - 1/26/1992

Shahzia Sikander: Flip-Flop San Diego Museum of Art , 3/27/2004 - 6/27/2004

Domains of Wonder: Selected Masterworks of Indian Painting San Diego Museum of Art , 10/22/2005 - 1/27/2008

Bibliography

This object has the following bibliographic references:

Dr. Edwin Binney, 3rd. The Mughal and Deccani Schools Portland Art Museum. Portland, Oregon, 1973
Page Number: 138, 142-143, Figure Number: 120

Mark Zebrowski. Deccani Painting Sotheby Publications. London, England, 1983
Page Number: 30, 31, 35, notes 29, 30, Figure Number: 19

Dr. Edwin Binney, 3rd. Persian and Indian Miniatures, Portland Art Museum. Portland, Oregon, 1962
Page Number: 31, 38 no. 70

Mr. Stuart Cary Welch. Indian Drawings and Painted Sketches: Asia House Gallery. New York, New York, 1976
Page Number: 20

Mr. Stuart Cary Welch. Indian Drawings and Painted Sketches: Asia House Gallery. New York, New York, 1976
Page Number: 68 no. 29, Figure Number: 29

Dr. George Michell and Mark Zebrowski. Architecture and Art of the Deccan Sultanates Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge, England, 1999
Page Number: 151, 153, Figure Number: 113

Brijinder Nath Goswamy and Dr. Caron Smith. Domains of Wonder: San Diego Museum of Art. San Diego, California, 2005
Page Number: 166, 167, Figure Number: 66

Navina Najat Haidar and Ms. Marika Sardar. Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Yale University Press, 2015
Page Number: 71, Figure Number: Cat. 19

Marks

Inscription, On front:

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