Maharaja Kirpal Pal of Basohli smoking a hookah

Gouache with gold and silver on paper.

In this vibrant reinterpretation of a Mughal portrait convention, Maharaja Kirpal Pal (r. c.1678-1693) sits smoking his hookah on white floor-spread laid over a striped durree. His attendants are shown in smaller scale. Kirpal Pal was a successful warrior and a generous patron of art and learning. The jewelled pendant at his chest may be an heirloom, given by Shah Jahan to his forebear Bhupat Pal, depicted in the previous painting [LI118.38].

To view a high-resolution version of this image and for further information please visit the Yousef Jameel Online Centre at the Ashmolean.