The artist has used soft colors in darker tones and deliberately subdued the dark colors to balance these softer ones. In doing so he has achieved at a balanced color scheme which is soothing to the eye. Gold too has been liberally used, but with its brilliance subdued, lest it over-rides the gentle world of the lighter hues. Though whenever necessary, gold itself has been used to subdue another color, for example when used on the dark walking stick. The gold also provides a fine bordering to the neckline and frill of his jama, the wide expanse of which is balances by way of a shash.
The noble's sharp features consist of a nose which recesses just below the forehead, then rises in the middle and ends with a sharp thrust. The protruding cheekbones, prominently delineated eyes and his tall frame, all pointing to his Afghan descent, define his robustness, corroborated by his tall walking sword.
The landscape, meadow and sky, indeed the entire backdrop is casually treated. In typical fashion of Mughal portraiture this helps concentrate the total attention on the portrayed figure.
Descriptions by Dr. Daljeet.Dr. Daljeet is Curator of the Gallery of Miniature Paintings, National Museum of India, New Delhi.
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