MUGHAL INDIA, MID 18TH CENTURY

Details

THE EMPEROR 'ALAMGIR II AND THE MASTER OF THE ROYAL AVIARIES
MUGHAL INDIA, MID 18TH CENTURY
Body colour heightened with gold on paper, the Emperor sits upon a gilt throne on a carpeted terrace, courtiers holding fans and fly whisks stand behind and figures, including the Qushibegi, with falcons before him, two identification inscriptions above, a minor gold border around, laid down on card, later owner's marks to the reverse
9 x 11 3/8in. (22.8 x 29cm.)

Engraved

Above the figure on the left, i'tisam al-dawla pesar-e ni'matullah khan, 'I'tisam al-Dawla, son of Ni'matullah Khan'
Above the enthroned figure, 'alamgir badshah, ''Alamgir Padshah'
On the back, tasvir-e mubarak-e hazrat-e qaza qudrat-e sulayman manzalat-e jamshid chashm hazrat shah 'alam padshah khallada allah mulkahu i'tisam al-dawla pesar-e ni'matullah khan qush-begi ru-be-ru istade baz mulahiza mi-konanad, 'Blessed painting of His Highness, the one with the judgement of power, the status of Sulayman, the eye of Jamshid, His Highness Shah 'Alam Padshah, may God perpetuate his sovereignty, [and] I'tisam al-Dawla, the son of Nim'atullah Khan, the Qushbegi [master of the royal aviaries], facing each other and looking at a falcon'

Special notice

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Andrew Butler-Wheelhouse

abutler-wheelhouse@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2196

Lot Essay

The reign of ‘Alamgir II (r.1754-1759) was a period in which the Mughal court had relatively little authority over the lands they nominally ruled in North India. A related portrait of the Emperor dated to circa 1755-1760 and attributed to Murshidabad or Patna is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv.IS.54-1965; Arts of Bengal, exhibition catalogue, London, 1979, N.74, p.46).

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