Only known portrait of Bahadur Shah Zafar's adviser sold for £63,500

In the final years of Mughal rule in Delhi, an artist painted a portrait of Ghulam Nasir al-Din, a spiritual adviser to Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Known as Kale Miyan, he was a respected religious figure whose influence extended to the imperial court. The painting, dated 1851-52, is now considered the only known portrait of him. After appearing on the American art market in 2000, the rare work sold at Christie's in London for £63,500 on April 28, 2026.According to the official website of British auction house Christie's, the painting was created in Mughal Delhi by a follower of Ghulam Ali Khan, regarded as one of the foremost painters of 19th-century Delhi. The work was offered as part of The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection of Indian Painting and Calligraphy. The auction house estimated it at £30,000 to £50,000.