Young Moghul Nobleman Relaxing in a Garden

Artist

Bashir Ahmad (Pakistani, b. 1954)

Date

1995

Medium

graphite on paper

Dimensions

Image : 22 3/4 x 16 5/8 in. (57.78 x 42.23 cm)
Sheet : 30 1/8 x 22 1/4 in. (76.52 x 56.52 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of David Kamansky and Gerald Wheaton

Object Number

2016.57.1

Label

Bashir Ahmad is a contemporary Pakistani artist who draws inspiration from the great tradition of Mughal miniature painting. The Mughals were a Muslim dynasty that ruled much of India between the 16th and 18th centuries. Mughal paintings combined elements of Indian, Persian and European art. They were typically small in size and portrayed subjects ranging from illustrations of famous literary texts to scenes of aristocratic life. Ahmad trained under the descendants of Mughal court artists and learned their exacting techniques. His work, however, is typically larger in size than traditional Mughal paintings and is marked by a wistfully nostalgic tone.