Darbar of Alivardi Khan at Murshidabad's Court

Public Audience (Darbar) of Nawab Alivardi Khan

The nawab of Bengal Alivardi Khan (r. 1740–56) maintained a powerful court in the eastern Mughal province of Murshidabad. In this historical tableau depicting him at about age eighty, he is shown among his courtiers, who are all dressed in white per the prevailing taste at the time. Almost every figure is identified in a nearby small Persian inscription: clustered around the ruler are key political players of the family circle, among them Shamat Jang (d. 1755) and Saulat Jang (d. 1756). Others include Prince Shaukat Jang (d. 1756) and his cousin Ikram al-Daula (d. 1753, of smallpox), whose presence here provides the latest possible date for this work.

The anonymous artist was trained in the refined style of Delhi, from where he might have migrated to Murshidabad. Confident in courtly hierarchy, he has divided the compositional space into two: the upper portion provides a stately view into a marble pavilion where the nobility stand in formal poses, while the lower section depicts figures seated outside, smoking huqqas and speaking animatedly. The touches of color in this otherwise subtle Bengal palette come from the sumptuous red and gold textile furnishings.

Navina Haidar in [MMA 2021]

Private Collection, England; [ Alexis Renard, Paris, France, until 2018; sold to MMA]

Recent Acquisitions, A Selection: 2018–20. Part I Antiquity to the Late Eighteenth Century (2021). pp. 40–41, ill. p. 41.

Renard, Alexis. "Asia Week, New York, 2018." In Exotic Mirror. New York, 2018. no. 40, ill.