Ghulam Ali Khan
| Ghulam Ali Khan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Delhi |
| Died | Mughal India |
| Known for | Topographical paintings, portraits |
| Notable work(s) |
Delhi Book Fraser Album Mughal paintings |
| Style | Mughal |
Ghulam Ali Khan was an Indian painter in Delhi in the first half of the 19th Century.[1] He was the last royal Mughal painter.[2]
Biography
He was employed in the households of Mughal emperors Akbar II (reigned 1806–37) and Bahadur Shah II (reigned 1837–58). His work encompassed portraits and topographical views, as well as paintings, which combine the two, such as the painting depicting the durbar of Colonel James Skinner. After portraits of Akbar II, Ghulam Ali Khan was commissioned to paint the accession portrait of Bahadur Shah II enthroned. Versions of the portrait exist in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC and the Nasser D. Khalili collection in London.
He created a series of 31 paintings, circa 1852-1854, consisting of views of monuments in and around Delhi including four portraits of Emperor Bahadur Shah II and his sons. The work was done in watercolour and gold on paper, with black margin rules, all with identifying inscriptions in English and in Persian in nasta'liq script.[3]
He also worked outside of Delhi, working for more than ten years at the court of Jhajjar and the Alwar court of Raja Baani Singh. He was closely associated with East India Company figures, notably William Fraser and James Skinner. He worked for William Fraser notable work called as the Fraser Album. His work is an important documentation of the Mughal empire towards its end, the other being the famed Metcalfe's Delhi Book mostly done by Mazhar Ali Khan.
He was the nephew of noted Mughal painter, Ghulam Murtaza Khan.[4]
Works
-
Bahadur Shah II enthroned with Mirza Fakhruddin, 1837–38 (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian)
-
The Diwan-i-Khas with red shamianas, around 1817
-
Thakur Dawlat Singh among Courtiers, 1825 (David Collection)
See also
References
- ↑ William Dalrymple on The Dehlie Book | Art and design | The Guardian
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/09/arts/design/princes-and-painters-in-mughal-delhi-at-asia-society.html?_r=0
- ↑ "Bonhams". Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- ↑ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/art-and-an-empire/article4384080.ece
Further reading
- L. Y. Leach. Paintings from India. Nasser D. Khalili Collection, London 1998. pp. 161–163.
- Y. Sharma. 'In the Company of the Mughal Court: Delhi Painter Ghulam 'Ali Khan', in W. Dalrymple, Y. Sharma (ed.) Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi 1707-1857. New Haven 2012, pp. 41–51.
- J. P. Losty, M. Roy. Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire. London 2012. pp. 217–220.
External links
Media related to Ghulam Ali Khan at Wikimedia Commons