Portrait of Mulla Muhammad Khan Vali of Bijapur | Restored Mughal Wall Art

A bearded ambassador in a white robe and brown vest, holding a letter or scroll — Mulla Muhammad Khan, emissary of Bijapur, sent by Sultan Ibrahim 'Adil Shah II to request Mughal aid against the rival Malik Ambar of Ahmadnagar. The folio's inner border bears an inscription in Jahangir's own hand identifying the sitter.

Painted by Hashim, ca. 1620 (recto); ca. 1537-47 (verso). The Deccani painter Hashim had joined the Mughal imperial atelier shortly before this folio was made — his strong contours and rich palette show the Bijapur tradition he came from; the rendering of the face shows the change made under Jahangir's guidance.

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.