Saru Taqi, a Safavid courtier

This painting is a relatively rare portrait of an important Safavid historical figure by a celebrated Mughal painter. The painting may have been based on direct observation or on a sketch conceived during Bishan Das' visit to Iran between 1613-19 with a Mughal delegation from Jahangir's court. The signature of the artist is contained in the little gold cartouche to the right of the nobleman.

Considered one of the most influential 17th-century Safavid politicians, courtiers, and patrons of architecture, Mirza Muhammad Taqi, known as Mirza Taqi or Saru Taqi ("Taqi of the fair hair"), a eunuch, was born ca. 1579 in Tabriz.  He  joined the army and quickly moved up the ranks. In 1616, Shah Abbas (r. 1588-1629) appointed him governor of Mazandaran, where he was entrusted with the construction of several royal palaces, roads, and bridges. In 1634, Shah Abbas' successor, Shah Safi (1629-42), named Saru Taqi grand vizer--a position he held until his murder in 1645.

Known for his administrative skills and incorruptibility, Saru Taqi established a highly efficient administrative system and succeeded in raising state revenues to levels never known before in Iran. In the course of time, however, he became rigid and autocratic; his behavior earned him not only numerous enemies but it also worked against the interest of the state. For instance, Saru Taqi's reluctance in 1638 to renew a tax concession meant that the governor Qandahar placed himself and the province under the jurisdiction of the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan.

(See F1984.43 for one of Bishan Das' portraits of a female subject).