A Portrait of a Woman with a Cat
Delhi, Late 18th century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper Image: 6 1/4 x 4 in. (15.9 x 10.2 cm.)
Folio: 11 3/4 x 8 1/4 in. (29.8 x 21 cm.)

Provenance:
From a distinguished New York collection, acquired 1968.

Leaf from a Ragamala: Prince Begs Forgiveness
India, Popular Mughal, 18th century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
Folio: 11 x 8 in. (27.8 x 20.3 cm.)
Image: 6 1/4 x 4 1/3 in. (15.9 x 11 cm.)

Leaf from the Madhavanala Kamakandla
India, Provincial Mughal, Late 18th century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
12 1/4 x 7 1/4 in. (31 x 18.5 cm.)

Provenance:
Christie’s London, 4 October 2012, lot 177.

The Madhavanala Kamakandla story is of a Brahmin boy name Madhavnala in the service of King Govindachandra of Pushpavati. A handsome, musically and artistically gifted young man, Madhavanala was envied by the King’s courtiers and they persuaded the King to banish him. Through a series of events Madhavanala is again banished, but not before falling in love with Kamakandla. After being separated for some time Madhavanala learns that Kamakandla has passed, and upon hearing the news he himself dies of grief. As it turns out Kamakandla is in fact still alive and upon hearing of her paramour’s demise she instantly dies of grief. For a remarkably similar work, see the painting in the Royal Collection trust (RCIN 1005068.e) that is attributed to the artist Nidha Mal (1735-1775).

A leaf from the Shahnameh
India, Imperial Mughal Court
Akbar Period, circa 1600
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
Folio: 17 3/4 x 14 in. (45 x 35.5 cm.)
Image: 12 1/4 x 9 in. (31.1 x 23 cm.)

Provenance: 
Estate of Theordore Allen Heinrich (1910-1981).
Professor Heinrich was an art historian, curator and educator. From 1955 to 1962, he was the director of the Royal Ontario Museum, and afterwards he taught art history at the University of Saskatchewan and York University.

This painting, drawing from the ancient Shahnameh text, represents the conclusion of a tale of forbidden love between the Iranian warrior Bizhan and the princess Manizha, daughter of the Turanian king Afrasiyab. Crossing the border to see the fair maidens of Turan encamped at a spring festival, Bizhan encountered Manizha, and the two were so powerfully attracted to each other that they trysted in her tent for three days. When Afrasiyab learned of the affair, he arrested Bizhan and imprisoned him in a dark pit covered by a heavy stone, with only the dishonored Manizha to keep him alive.

Eventually, Bizhan was saved by the Iranian hero Rustam, who was the only one strong enough to remove the stone from the mouth of the pit.

The painting shows the moment of rescue. Rustam, dressed in his tiger-skin coat, has cast away the stone and with a rope pulls the chained, Bizhan up from the depths. On the left stands Manizha. Encircling the main scene, a crowd of admiring soldiers witnesses the rescue mission.

The Shahnameh, or Book of Kings, is arguably the greatest Persian epic in existence, started by the poet Hakīm Abul-Qāsim Firdawsī Tūsī in 977 CE and completed just over 30 years later. The text is divided into 62 stories that cover Iran’s origins through mythology, heroism, and history. Copies of the Shahnameh were frequently commissioned by Iranian rulers, with the celebrated text accompanied by rich illustration. Illustrated manuscripts from the Shahnameh first appeared in India during the 15th century with the Delhi Sultanate, although some scholars assert that the epic made it to the subcontinent as early as the 14th century. The Shahnameh was especially popular with earlier Mughal emperors; the present example was executed under the third ruler Akbar, under whom the Mughal painting style was developed.

Women at a Water Well
India, Provincial Mughal, circa 1850-1900
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
7 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. (19 x 12.1 cm.)

Provenance:
Private New York Collection.

Five women gather at a communal well amidst a grassy field, collecting water in pots as part of their daily chores. Two of the women carry pots atop their heads, while two others focus on funnelling water into its container and pulling up a fresh pot from the base of the well.  On the right, the fifth lady pours water into the mouth of a prince, identifiable by his ornate garb and turban. While the women are completing a mundane task in line with house work, meetings at the well provide a break from the home and an opportunity to socialize. In this instance, a prince has arrived to add intrigue to the day.

Some scholars such as A. Coomaraswamy suggest that this scene originates from the 1685 narrative of two lovers Mohna Rani and Chel Batao as told by the Persian poet Muhammad Akrim. There is, however, a Ragamala system that mirrors this same situation called Kumbha Ragaputra or Raga Kumbha that is depicted in the Pahari tradition, wherein a lone woman at a village well is approached by a prince who requests water.

The Ragamala scene may have influenced the production of similar works in the Mughal style, likely in conjunction with Persian poetry and other literary sources. Compare the 18th century Bilaspur Raga Kumbha from the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery (accession no. 1974.91.14) with a 1680-1690 Mughal painting illustrated in J.P. Losty’s Indian Miniature Paintings from the Lloyd Collection and Other Properties (no. 9). The Bilaspur work shows one woman hoisting water up from a well for a prince on foot, while the Mughal work shows a number of women at the well, one of whom is about to pour water into the mouth of a prince on horseback. The later dating of the present image accounts for the fusion of the different compositions, presenting a fine opportunity for the artist to elaborate on these charming figures and the landscape beyond.

A Drunken Prince Led to Bed
North India, Lucknow, Mughal period, circa 18th century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
Folio: 13 x 11 1/4 in. (33 x 28.5 cm.)
Image: 9 5/8 x 7 1/2 in. (24.5 x 19 cm.)

Provenance:
Christie’s, London, 4 October 2012, Lot 178.

A drunken prince is led to his bedchamber by female attendants and musicians as dawn is heralded by the cockerel and the grey half-light of the new day. Lucknow was given the reputation of being highly elaborate, from their poetry to their culture, indulging in excess and embracing decadence. The present painting illustrates this zeal, showing a finely dressed prince who has reveled into the early morning hours and consequently become intoxicated. Terrace scenes incorporating musicians such as this were popular in Awadh (the region where Lucknow is located), a composition technique adopted from the nearby Mughals.

The Nawabs of Awadh were originally appointed in the 18th century as governors of the rich agricultural province by the Mughal empire, but gained independence as their power faltered. In the latter part of the century, many Mughal artists, poets, and nobility fled to Awadh in search of stability amidst uncertain times for the Mughal empire. This socio-political climate, along with a growing European presence, prompted the development of an Awadh substyle. Artists took inspiration from European styles, paying attention to spatial depth and figural volume, hoping to escape the Mughal standards of painting in search of their own. One characteristic and widespread feature applied across Awadh paintings is the aerial perspective, exemplified in the current work by giving the impression that the viewer is slightly above the figures’ eye level.

The Awadhi region saw itself as a cultural successor to the Mughal dynasty when they showed signs of decline in the 18th century, providing a pool of patrons for artists to work for who commissioned pieces like the painting illustrated here. With gracefully patterned, gold illuminated margins, this work demonstrates the skill and precision possessed by the artists of Awadh before they conformed to the popular Company style in the 19th century.

Baz Bahadur and Rupmanti Hunting at Night
India, Mughal, Delhi, Mid-18th century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
Folio: 8 3/8 x 10 7/8 in. (21.3 x 27.7 cm.)
Image: 7.75 x 10 1/8 in. (19.7 x 25.7 cm.)

Provenance:
Sotheby’s, New York, 6 October 1990, Lot 19.
William K. Ehrenfeld collection, California.

Published:
Daniel J. Ehnbom, Indian Miniatures, The Ehrenfeld Collection, catalogue of the traveling exhibition organized by the American Federation of Arts, September 1985-November 1987, no. 30, illustrated.

The couple gazes admiringly at each other, as they are seated on galloping horses during their evening hunt. Baz Bahadur wears a bright yellow jama holding a spear in his right hand with a quiver of arrows hung around his waist. Rupmanti is wearing a translucent garment, adorned by a pearl necklace with multiple strands and a fine sarpech affixed to her turban. The night scne of the forest is shown brilliantly with hints of light green bushes. A vibrant deep blue skyline contrasting the dark gray terrain with a shallow lotus pond at lower right balances the composition. For comparable see: Mushidabad cf. Falk and Archer, India Office Library, p. 199, no. 372.

Ladies in a Zenana
India, Provincial Mughal, circa 1800
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper, edged with brocaded silk
Folio: 13 1/3 x 10 1/2 in. (34 x 26.5 cm.)
Image: 7 2/3 x 4 (19.5 x 12 cm.)

Nymph Rambha cursed by Vishvamitra
India, Sub-Imperial Mughal, Early 17th century 
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
5 1/2 in. x 3 1/8 in. (13 x 8 cm.)

Provenance:
Sotheby’s New York, 21 & 22 March 1990, lot 47.

Vishvamitra was once a king who became a saint through rigorous devotion to the gods. He desired to become a Brahma Rishi like the great Vashishta, but despite much commitment and austerities, the gods kept granting him lesser rishi-ship. Indra had once sent a maiden to tempt the sage and lure him away from his devotion; the woman was so lovely, that Vishvamitra forgot about his life as a sage in a dreamlike stupor that lasted for 10 years. Seeing Vishvamitra grow stronger in his piety and become a potential threat to the gods, the Devas urged Indra to send another temptress named Rambha to seduce the Saint. Rambha in Hindu mythology is the Queen of the Apsaras, the magical and beautiful female beings in Devaloka (a plane of existence where gods and devas, which are described as spirits, demi-gods or celestial beings, exist). She is unrivalled in her accomplishments in the arts of dancing, music and love-making. She is often asked by the king of the Devas, Indra to break the tapasya (a means to purify and strengthen ones devotion to God) of sages so that the purity of their penance is tested against temptation, and also that the order of the three worlds remains undisturbed by any one man’s mystical powers. Deep in meditation when Rambha appeared to him, Vishvamitra opened his eyes to see her beauty and experience a reawakening of carnal desires. Remembering that the gods had tricked him before in this way, Vishvamitra became enraged, cursing Rambha: “Oh Rambha, for seeking to tempt me who am striving to conquer anger and desire,  be thou frozen to an image of stone for 10,000 years.”
After seeing this outburst as indicative of his humanity, Vishvamitra took to the east, delving into his devotion even more rigorously than ever and finally earned the title of Brahma Rishi.
A painting of a similar subject in the Freer Ramayana collection is published as catalogue number 15k, page 148 in Beach, 1981.

This very early depiction of this episode is best described by the following translation:

“The God Indra decreed another test of Vishvamitra’s concentration and ordered the nymph Rambha to seduce the sage.
… the nymph obeyed
In all her loveliest charms arrayed,
With winning ways and witching smile
She sought the hermit to beguile.
The sweet note of that tuneful bird
The saint with ravished bosom heard,
And on his heart a rapture passed
As on the nymph a look he cast.
But when he heard the bird prolong
His sweet incomparable song,
And saw the nymph with winning smile,
The hermit’s heart perceived the wile.” (Beach, 1981)

Reference
Beach, Milo, The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court, Freer Gallery of Art, 1981, Washington D.C.

Portrait of Nawab Jiwan Khan / Nobleman at Leisure
India, Mughal, Early 18th century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
Folio: 13 1/2 x 9 3/8 in. (34.3 x 23.8 cm.)
Image: 9 5/8 x 6 7/8 in. (24.4 x 17.5 cm.)

Inscribed: Black ink Devanagari script in the upper border; three couplets of poetry in black ink Nasta’liq script on verso

The nobleman sits regally on a golden throne wearing a Deccani turban. Distracted he holds his favorite falcon on his gloved right hand as he calmly smokes from a longstemmed hookah balanced on a three-legged table on a stark white marble terrace with jali-screen borders. An attendant stands silently behind waving a slender morchal (a peacock-feathered fan) a symbol of royal authority. Before a river with green hills beyond. The sun sets in vibrant red streaks.

Narasimha Disemboweling Hiranyakashipu
Mughal, probably Rajasthan, 17th century
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
8 1/2 x 12 in. (3.3 x 4.7 cm.)

Provenance:  
Private collection, Ohio.

Shiva and Parvati
Murshidabad, circa 1780
Gouache heightened with gold on paper
Image: 8 x 10 in. (20.3 x 25.7 cm.)
Folio: 11 x 9 in. (28.2 x 22.9 cm.)

The present painting depicts Lord Shiva and Parvati seated under a tree on top of Mount Kailash. An even line of trees and palms dot the horizon, dividing a clear blue sky and a vast expanse of green. Shiva, seated on a tiger pelt, is adorned with serpents which curl around his neck and arms. On his forehead is his third eye, topped by a crescent moon. From his piled hair flows the river of Ganges which splits the mountain in two. He is equipped with two damarus–a divine instrument which produces the sounds that create and regulate the universe–one in his proper left hand, and another hanging from his trident, along with pennants that billow in the breeze. Besides him is Parvati, seated upon a lotus flower. She holds her hands open in respect as she gazes upon her lover. Both her and Shiva have glowing nimbuses–indications of their holiness. Below the couple rests Shiva’s faithful vahana, Nandi, the sacred bull.

Women in the Zenana at Leisure
Mughal, 17th century
Gouache heightened with gold on paper
Image: 9 x 5 in. (22.5 x 12.5 cm.)
Folio: 11 ¾ x 7 ½ in. (30 x 19 cm.)

Outside in the secluded terrace garden, the women of the zenana are coupled in loving embrace. One of the seated figures turns towards the viewer as her female lover pulls her in for a kiss. Reclining on a large cushion, her gaze invites the eye into the scene as an attendant refills her cup. Beside them, the standing couple gaze into each other’s eyes as they lavish one another in soft caresses. One clutches at her partner’s skirt, pulling her close as the attendant gazes at them from across the terrace. Dressed in translucent golden veils and strings of delicate pearls, the women are served never-ending drinks and platters of ripe, plump fruit. The repetition of the floral motif–from the formal garden and the wild growths in the lower register, to the intricate terrace flooring and the delicate molding of the palace walls–denote the zenana as the feminine domain, filled with women in full bloom.

Amorous zenana scenes such as in the present painting found their initial imperial expression during the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1627-1658). The harems’ sumptuous attire and leisurely pursuit of pleasure speaks to the prosperity of the realm and provides a window into the fantasies of the male artists and their patrons. Due to the inaccessibility of the zenana and the speculated delights therein, these imaginings of the women “behind-the-wall” were archetypal and highly idealized depictions, rather than individualized portraits.

See another Zenana scene from a Ragamala series at the Royal Collection Trust (RCIN 1005068.j). Depicting the “Patamanjari Ragini” musical mode, this painting captures a much more somber mood. The women’s clothing, however, is just as sumptuous, with similar styling of the translucent veils and strands of pearls.

Drawing Water from a Well
Provincial Mughal, 18th-19th century
Ink & gouache heightened with gold
Folio: 8 ½  x 5 ⅛ in. (20.5 x 13 cm.)

Provenance:
George Halla, Czech Republic consul to New South Wales, 1948; thence by descent.
Private collection, Sydney.

The present painting depicts a bustling scene at a village water well. Women busily go about their daily tasks, transporting water in large clay pots–one carries two at the same time, precariously balancing one atop her head. Another heaves water up from the well, the sturdy rope pooling at her feet. The central figure is donned in purple and gold with bright red cuffs that contrast the muted tones of her surroundings. She modestly pulls her veil to cover her bosom as she gazes down at the young man, his hand outstretched to accept the offering of water she pours from a brass vessel in her right hand. The man, bare chested and simply dressed in a grass skirt, is eclipsed by a man much more richly clad. Likely a prince or an aristocrat, he wears a white jama and a red turban and carries a whole armory, complete with a double ended spear, katar, sword, and shield.

Scenes of women at watering wells–a popular subject in eighteenth-century Mughal paintings–were likely inspired by literary sources such as the Persian poets Muhammad Akrim’s story of Mohna Rani and Chel Batao and Ghanimat Kunjahi’s 1785 Nairang-i ‘Ishq. This scene is reminiscent of one from the Nairang-i ‘Ishq (‘Love’s Magic’) in which the protagonist Sahid goes hunting and comes across a village well where he meets the eyes of a beautiful woman, Wafa, and instantly falls  in love. The present painting is worthy of comparison to a seventeenth-century Mughal painting of “A Group of Women at a Well” in the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art (acc. F1907.208). Both these illustrations exhibit the same delicately rendered form and attention to the naturalistic landscape seen in the present painting which is characteristic of Mughal paintings of the period.