Page 85 - ART OF THE ISLAMIC AND INDIAN WORLDS Carpets, Ceramics Objects, Christie's London Oct..27, 2022

66
A YOGI WITH HIS TWO YOUNG
ATTENDANTS
BY DHANRAJ, MUGHAL INDIA, 1595-1600
Brush drawing in brown and black ink with colour
65 washes heightened with gold on paper, set within
pink upper and lower borders with gold floral
RUSTAM RESCUES BIHZAN FROM THE
designs and gold rules, laid down on a gold-
PIT sprinkled green album page with red rule, inscribed
SUB-IMPERIAL MUGHAL INDIA, CIRCA 1605
in lower right corner in nasta'liq, reverse with 25ll. of
From the Shahnama of Firdawsi, opaque pigments black nasta'liq arranged in four columns, heading in
heightened with gold on paper, 2ll. black nasta'liq gold, intercolumnar inscriptions, set between gold
divided in four columns above and below, set and polychrome rules
between gold, black and red rules, the reverse Drawing 5¡ x 3qin. (13.8 x 8.8cm.);
with 25ll. black nasta'liq divided in four columns, folio 10 x 5win. (25.2 x 14.8cm.)
headings in red, set between gold, red and black
rules £15,000-20,000 US$18,000-23,000
Painting 6æ x 4æin. (17.5 x 12cm.); €18,000-23,000
text panel 8q x 5in. (21.6 x 12.6cm.);
folio 10¿ x 6qin. (25.8 x 16.5cm.) PROVENANCE:
Spink and Son,
£8,000-12,000 US$9,200-14,000
Private Collection, Japan
€9,200-14,000
EXHIBITED:
Mystik - Die Sehnsucht nach dem Absoluten,
PROVENANCE:
Museum Rietberg, Zürich, 23 September 2011 - 15
Anon, sale, Sotheby's, New York, 20 March 2001,
January 2013.
lot 27.
LITERATURE:
EXHIBITED:
J.P. Losty, Paintings from the Royal Courts of India,
Blumen - Bäume - Göttergärten - Indische
Francesca Galloway catalogue, London, 2008,
Malerei aus sechs Jahrhunderten, Museum für
no. 3,
Völkerkunde,Hamburg, 17 March - 27 October
L.V. Habighorst, ‘Caricature and satire in Indian
2013.
miniature painting’, in M. Horstmann and H.
LITERATURE: Pauwels (eds.), Indian Satire in the Period of First
L.V. Habighorst, Moghul Ragamala, Koblenz, 2006, Modernity, Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2012,
fig. 5. pp. 117-32, fig. 1,
L.V. Habighorst, Blumen - Bäume - Göttergärten, J.P. Losty, Indian Paintings from the Ludwig
Koblenz, 2011, fig. 122, p. 150. Habighorst Collection, Francesca Galloway,
London, 2018, no. 23.
Bihzan, the Iranian warrior, has wandered into
INSCRIPTIONS:
the enemy territory of Turan to enjoy the Spring
'amal-e Dhanraj, "work of Dhanraj"
Festival. There he sees and instantly falls in love
with Manizheh, daughter of the Turanian ruler
This delicate work depicts an elderly ascetic
Afrasiyab. Spending three blissful days together
perched on a rocky overhang and attended by
in Manizheh’s tent, news soon reaches Afrasiyab
two young men. One is playing music whilst the
who is outraged. In anger he casts Bihzan into
other bows respectfully with hands to head in
a pit to be sustained by food which Manizheh
the anjali gesture of respect. The figures and
has had to beg for. Rustam eventually travels to
tree are carefully modelled and coloured with the
Turan to rescue Bihzan with only the great hero
European cityscape behind acknowledging the
possessing the strength to remove the capstone.
influence of European prints which by this time
This colourful depiction of this tale is most
had disseminated through the Mughal court. The
likely from the same manuscript from which
whole scene is lightly coloured in the nim qalam
two other illustrations are known in the Edwin
style, literally meaning ‘half pen’, which was
rd
Binney 3 Collection, San Diego Museum of
particularly favoured around the turn of the 17 th
Art (1990.322) and Los Angeles Museum of Art
century. For a fuller discussion of nim qalam refer
(M.71.49.3). The illustrations have been attributed
to lot 64 in this sale.
as Sub-imperial Mughal and likely commissioned
by a Muslim Mughal courtier (E. Binney, Indian
Portraits of ascetics were a popular subject in
Miniature Painting from the Collection of Edwin
Mughal painting in the late 16 and early 17 th
th
Binney 3rd, exhibition catalogue, Portland Art
century. With nudes uncommon in Mughal
Museum, 1974, p.62). The quality of painting is
India, the near naked bodies allowed the artist The artist Dhanraj, whilst not the most prolific, also in the British Library (IM.61-1949). He was
superior to popular Mughal works although the
to showcase their skill at anatomical drawing has works dating from the 1580s until the early responsible for a number of nim qalam works
colours – especially the strong use of yellow – are
whilst also assembling groups with meaningful Jahangiri period. Usually his name is mentioned including a painting of elephants in a landscape in
of a different tonality to those found in imperial
spatial relationships. The restricted use of in collaborative works, often as the designer of the Royal Collection (RCIN 1005042) which, like
painting (P. Pal, Indian Painting, volume 1, Los
colour here gives further emphasis to the the page. This is the case with three paintings the present painting, underscores his proficiency
Angeles, 1993, p.292).
drawing. A very similar Mughal nim qalam work, in the British Library Baburnama (Or.3714), of spatial arrangement. Two illustrations
but with an expanded view and including more including the illustration of Babur approaching attributed to Dhanraj from the ‘second’
characters, is illustrated in R.K. Tandan, Indian the fort at Gwalior. He was also responsible for a Akbarnama of 1596-97 were recently sold by
Miniature Painting: 16th through 19th centuries, preparatory illustration for a copy of the Khamsa Hôtel Druout Paris, 15 May 2019, lot 30.
Bangalore, 1982, fig.9. of Nizami commissioned by the Emperor Akbar
82 In addition to the hammer price, a Buyer’s Premium (plus VAT) is payable. Other taxes and/or an Artist Resale Royalty 83
fee are also payable if the lot has a tax or λ symbol. Check Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of this catalogue.