A Mughal prince receiving a divine revelation, India, late 16th century

Ex-collection Dr. Claus Virch (1927-2017); acquired in the 1970s

Sotheby's, New York, 16 March 2016, lot 860

Private collection, UK

A Mughal prince, his palms pressed together in prayer, looks upward into a brilliant golden light, seemingly receiving a divine revelation. Standing against a vigorously-painted expressive green landscape with its suggestions of foliage receding into a cloudy yellow sky, darkened to turbulent lapis-blue. A burst of gold light is visible at the upper right corner. The subject of the painting itself is unusual and it may reflect Akbar's interest in a new mystical religion created by him in 1582 - the Din-i Ilahi (the Religion of God) - which worshipped the Sun and fire as divine light.

The identity of the subject is unknown. Although lacking a halo, he is depicted with a feathered aigrette in his turban suggesting that he is likely to be a Mughal prince or a high ranking official. Dressed in an Akbar-period long vermilion jama over a green churidar gathered at the ankles, he wears a long white embroidered sash displaying complex folds in front, a secondary sash swaying about his arms. His religious affiliation is indicated by the way his jama is tied under his right arm, was the tradition of Muslim courtiers, as opposed to the Hindus who tied their jamas on the left.

A comparable ‘Portrait of a Muslim Courtier’ attributable to the Mughal artist Basawan dated to circa 1580-85, from the Stuart Cary Welch Collection, was sold at Sotheby's London, April 6, 2011, Lot 93. A further portrait of a European lady worshipping the sun, ascribed to the artist Madhu and dated circa 1595, from the Khosrovani-Diba Collection, sold at Sotheby’s London, 19 October 2016, lot 1.