Untitled

ca. 1595

Painting, watercolour and gold on paper, an oval miniature portrait of a man by Isaac Oliver mounted on a Mughal album page of the third quarter of the 18th century. The subject wears a black coat with a plain white collar. The background is blue with trees at either side that may be a later addition. The paint surface is slightly damaged, and the man's coat may have been retouched. It has a painted frame done by an Indian artist in white, red and gold that simulates jewelled gold, within a blue-grey rectangular compartment decorated with a radiating leaf pattern outlined in white. The outer borders are respectively gold-flecked green; salmon pink with a band of quatrefoils enclosed within split acanthus leaves in gold; and gold flecked paper. Each border has gold rulings. The album page has been laid down on a card support.