US Tariffs: You may be charged a tariff if you wish to import certain lots in this sale into the US. Please note that these tariffs do not apply to ‘informational materials’ which include unique goods created by an artist such as paintings, drawings, pastels, engravings, prints, lithographs, sculptures, books, manuscripts, photographs and films. Buyers are responsible for paying any applicable customs duties/charges, taxes, tariffs or other government charges relating to the import of a lot in accordance with section H2(b) of the Conditions of Sale.

The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection of Indian Painting and Calligraphy

Sale Overview

Christie’s London is honoured to offer The Collection of Mary and Cheney Cowles on 28 April 2026. Assembled with discernment over the course of five decades, the collection stands as a testament to the passionate and scholarly eyes of Mary and Cheney Cowles.

The majority of the works are Mughal paintings, dating from the 16th to the mid-19th century, including illustrations to the ‘First’ and ‘Third’ Akbarnamas and three important folios from the ‘Brabourne-Ardeshir’ Album. The sale also features Deccani and Company School paintings, among them a notable folio from the Fraser Album.

Mary and Cheney’s keen interest in Islamic calligraphy forms a core part of the collection. The auction includes a selection of Qur’an folios from across Islamic history, alongside calligraphic exercises by renowned masters such as Husayn Zarin Qalam and Mir ‘Ali al-Katib.

Seattle-based collectors Mary and Cheney Cowles assembled one of the most distinguished private collections of East Asian painting and calligraphy in the Western World. Best known for the depth of their holdings in Japanese painting and calligraphy the collection has been widely recognised for its intellectual coherence and exceptional quality. In a landmark act of philanthropy, Mary and Cheney Cowles pledged more than 550 Japanese works of art to leading American institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, and the Portland Art Museum, ensuring broad public access and long-term scholarly engagement.

Guided by a commitment to artistic excellence and historical significance, their collecting of Indian painting, Islamic calligraphy, Japanese and Chinese art has consistently emphasised works that unite literary, painterly, and calligraphic traditions.

Auction times

28 Apr 11:00 AM (BST) Lots 1-84

Our specialist’s selection

Brought to you by

Sara Plumbly

Director, Head of Department | Islamic and Indian Art

Sara Plumbly is Director and Head of the Islamic and Indian Art department at Christie’s King Street. She joined the company in 2006, and has worked on the department’s biannual sales of Islamic art since that time. She has been responsible for the successful King Street sales since that time, including collections such as the Library of the Late Djafar Ghazi and the Private Collection Donated to Benefit the University of Oxford. She has also overseen the sale of several record breaking pieces, including the important early Iznik bowl that sold for £1.4 million in April 2014.

Sara studied Arabic and Persian at Durham University and Arabic for another year at the American University in Cairo. Whilst in Egypt she also worked at the Gayer Anderson Museum, a 17th century house in the heart of Islamic Cairo. She subsequently completed her Master’s Degree in Islamic Art and Archaeology at the University of Oxford, focussing for her thesis on the restoration and conservation of architectural monuments in Cairo, particularly those of the Fatimid period.

She has lived and travelled extensively across the Middle East and North Africa, including particularly long periods in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam

Head of Sale | Islamic and Indian Art

Behnaz Atighi Moghaddam is the Head of Sale in the Islamic and Indian Art department at Christie’s King Street. She joined the company in 2017, and works on the department’s biannual sales of Islamic and Indian art as well as being involved in important single-owner collections, notably the Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence sale which achieved the highest total for any auction of Indian art and jewelled objects. Behnaz obtained a Bachelor’s degree in History of Art and Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African Studies and University College London. She subsequently completed her Master’s degree in Museum Studies at UCL, writing a thesis on illustrated manuscripts and the architecture of the Haramain in Mecca and Medina. She joins us from the Victoria and Albert Museum where she was an Assistant Curator and Exhibition Researcher. Behnaz is fluent in Persian and has a working knowledge of Arabic.