Dervish With a Lion | Restored Mughal Wall Art

A holy man with staff and waterskin walking calmly beside a lion at his side — the image of a wandering Sufi dervish whose spiritual mastery has tamed even the king of beasts. Behind him, a soft Mughal sky and pale hills; a tiny inscription in calligraphic Arabic sits below the painting.

Painted by Padarath, verso ca. 1630, with calligraphy on the recto from ca. 1500. The folio reflects the disciplined elegance of Mughal court painting — illuminated cream margins inhabited by red, blue and gold blooms; the central image framed in a delicate floral inner border.

The folio belongs to the Shah Jahan Album, the most ambitious imperial album ever assembled by the Mughal court — commissioned to honour the painters and calligraphers of his father Jahangir's atelier.

Restored from the museum archives by aurahliving.com.