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Lot Essay
A handwritten letter from Sir D.J. Tata to Mr. Radha Krishna Bharany, dated to 21 Dec 1917, has recently come to light in which Sir Tata thanks Bharany for the "(miniatures) of the Kangra and other schools;" see P. Pal, et al., East Meets West, 2010, p. 8-13. Mr. R.K. Bharany was an early dealer in Amritsar who had connections to sources close to several royal collections. It is likely that Sir Tata's collection of Nainsukh paintings came from this source.
On 14 December 1931 a group of paintings by Nainsukh was offered at a Sotheby's sale in London under "The Property of Sir D. J. Tata," lots 470 to 480. All but four of the works have been traced to known Nainsukh paintings in present-day collections, including lots 474 and 476, both previously sold in these rooms (see Christie's New York, 21 March 2008, lot 507 and 16 March 2008, lot 450). Now yet another lot has been identified. The description of lot 478 -- "An unfinished Drawing of the Rajah on horseback drawing his bow at a tiger which is being cornered by horsemen and dogs" -- combined with the inscriptions, corresponds to the present example.
On 14 December 1931 a group of paintings by Nainsukh was offered at a Sotheby's sale in London under "The Property of Sir D. J. Tata," lots 470 to 480. All but four of the works have been traced to known Nainsukh paintings in present-day collections, including lots 474 and 476, both previously sold in these rooms (see Christie's New York, 21 March 2008, lot 507 and 16 March 2008, lot 450). Now yet another lot has been identified. The description of lot 478 -- "An unfinished Drawing of the Rajah on horseback drawing his bow at a tiger which is being cornered by horsemen and dogs" -- combined with the inscriptions, corresponds to the present example.