India, Delhi, 18th century. Ink and watercolor on paper. A Ragamala illustration to the musical mode Pancham Ragini, depicting a prince and princess seated in a pavilion on a terrace, a female attendant holding a fly-whisk behind them, the royal couple listening to two female musicians playing string instruments.
Inscriptions: To the top border, ‘Pancham Ragini’. To reverse with a lengthy inscription and (in English), ‘Indian. Mughal. 42:16.481’.
Provenance: Collection of Arthur B. Michael, 1942. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, acquired from the above, accession number 42:16.481. The reverse of the mat with a handwritten paper label from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, stating the accession number and, “Indian, mid 18th century. Group of People. […] watercolor and ink on paper […] Bequest Arthur Michael”.
Condition: Good condition with old wear, minor soiling, few small tears and losses, possibly with minuscule old touchups. Matted.
Dimensions: Image size 12.6 x 8.3 cm, Folio size 16.3 x 11.8, Mat size 25.4 x 20.4 cm
Note the extremely fine drawing, which holds up to even very strong magnification, and would have made appropriate coloration impossible at the time.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 6 October 2015, lot 91
Price: GBP 6,250 or approx. EUR 9,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Two studies for Ragamala illustrations, Basohli, circa 1680
Expert remark: Compare the related material, verso, and recto of the same folio. Note the lost consists of two studies
Click the red 'Buy it Now' button to buy this item. You will then be able to download your invoice and receive instructions about how to pay. Prices include Buyer's Premium.
If you would like to buy multiple items at the same time, add the items you want to your cart. You will then be able to check out with multiple items simultaneously.
Items in your cart are not reserved. Please complete the purchase process promptly to secure the items.
If you would like to buy one of these items outside of the online shop, please contact us at office@zacke.at or +43 (1) 532 04 52.
As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our auctions fair and transparent, we recently updated our terms and conditions. We encourage you to read through these updates carefully (§34-50) to make sure you understand them. These updates are specifically designed to protect all serious and committed buyers from bidding against non-payers, who attempt to inflate prices without the intent of paying their auction bills.
For further reading about non-payers at auction, go here: https://www.zacke.at/aboutnonpayers/.
Main points include:
If you have any questions about our policies, please contact us at office@zacke.at.
By placing a bid, you agree to our Terms of Auction and Terms and Conditions.