The portrait depicts the eldest and favourite son of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r.1628-1658), Dara Shokuh, and is dated AH 1050/1640-1 AD. The prince holds a tray of jewels, among which may be seen a European cameo. He was killed after the war of succession that broke out in 1658 when the emperor fell ill and Aurangzeb, his younger brother, seized power and installed himself as the new emperor. At the bottom of the painting, in the border, Shah Jahan has written in Persian, the language of the court: "A good likeness of Baba Dara Shokuh by Chitarman". Few works have been identified that are definitely by this artist and virtually nothing beyond the fact of his royal service are known about him.
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The folio is from a group of paintings acquired at auction in London in 1925 where they were sold as "The Minto Album" and subsequently divided between the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin and the V&A.
