Portrait of Prince Murad Bakhsh, Youngest Son of Shah Jahan (c. 1655) — Restored Mughal Wall Art

Painted around 1655 at the court of Shah Jahan, this striking portrait depicts Prince Murad Bakhsh in his early thirties—the youngest son of the emperor who built the Taj Mahal, captured at the zenith of his power and promise. He stands in profile wearing a richly embroidered golden jama with a fur collar, the orange-red inner garments and patterned trousers befitting his royal rank, his hand resting upon the hilt of his sword while holding a ceremonial shield. The pale turquoise ground and delicate flowering plants at his feet speak to the refined aesthetic of Shah Jahan's court, where such formal portraits affirmed dynastic legitimacy and military prowess.

Yet this image bears witness to one of the Mughal empire's most tragic succession struggles. In 1658, Murad Bakhsh allied with his brother Aurangzeb to defeat their eldest brother, the crown prince Dara Shukoh, in a brutal war of succession while their father lay ill. The alliance was short-lived: Aurangzeb soon turned against Murad, imprisoning him and ordering his execution in 1661. This portrait, created just years before the wars that would seal his fate, preserves the prince as he wished to be remembered—a warrior of imperial blood, proud and formidable, forever suspended in the moment before his world unraveled.

This painting is part of Aurah Living's restored Mughal collection — digitally cleaned and color-corrected from archival sources, with the folio's painted inset, decorative hashiya, and original paper margins preserved.

Premium matte paper print, framed in solid wood with a beveled cream mat. Three frame finishes: Black, Red Oak, White. Free shipping in the continental United States.