( fl c. 1580-1620). Indian miniature painter. At least two signed early works are known by the Mughal painter Ghulam (Pers.: 'slave'). Inscriptions on paintings reading 'the slave of Shah Salim' (e.g. Los Angeles, CA, Co. Mus. A., L.69.24.259) indicate that he worked for Prince Salim, the future emperor Jahangir (reg 1605-27), who took the title Shah in 1599, holding court in Allahabad from 1599 to 1604. Later signatures, in which Ghulam is preceded by the honorific mirza, occur, for example, on three works in an Anvar-i Suhayli ('Lights of Canopus'; 1604-10/11; London, BL, Add. MS. 18579). Ghulam's style is derived from Iranian sources and bears similarities to that of the Persian artist Aqa Riza (see AQA RIZA (i)). His figures tend to be generalized, showing little concern for the actuality of the physical world. Several paintings within the sphere of artists related to Aqa Riza have been attributed to Ghulam.
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