Portrait of Nadir Shah

Portrait of Nadir Shah

c. 1760
Locale
Jaipur, India
Country
India
Style/Tradition
Rajput style
Object
painting, manuscript
Accession Number
1968.9
Credit Line
Gift of the Edna Hadley Collection
Portrait of Nadir Shah. c. 1760. Gift of the Edna Hadley Collection. 1968.9.
Dimensions
image height: 7.875 in, 20.0025 cm; image width: 5 in, 12.7 cm; sheet height: 9 in, 22.86 cm; sheet width: 6.5 in, 16.51 cm; mat height: 19 1/4 in, 48.895 cm; mat width: 14 1/2 in, 36.83 cm; window height: 8 3/4 in, 22.225 cm; window width: 5 3/4 in, 14.6
Department
Arts of Asia
Collection
Arts of Asia

Nadir Shah Seated on Throne
About 1760, Mughal dynasty (1526–1857)
Delhi or perhaps Jaipur, India
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Gift of the Edna Hadley Collection
1968.9

The Persian ruler Nadir Shah (reigned 1736–1747) led a successful invasion of India in 1739, defeating the Mughal ruler Muhammad Shah at the battle of Karnal. In this painting, Nadir Shah wears a Persian coat and conical headdress, both of which attest to his foreign origin. This portrait, along with many others from the same period, may have been commissioned by Nadir Shah to memorialize his victory.