INDIA, MUGHAL OR DECCAN, SIGNED AND DATED POLAH CHAND, 1619

Details

A Mongol Prince Dressed for Battle
India, Mughal or Deccan, signed and dated Polah Chand, 1619
The bearded figure delicately rendered with sword drawn and holding a shield and taut bow, wearing a decorative helmet surmounted by plumes, an ochre tunic and loose green pants, with a decorative border depicting flowers, animals, and clouds painted in gold, bearing signature at lower right and verses in nastaliq on reverse
Image: 9¾ x 5¾ in. (25 x 14.6 cm.)

Exhibited

Previously on loan to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1972-1974

Lot Essay

The figure wears a modified helmet based on Central Asian examples that was later worn as decorative accessories in Turkish courts. The short tunic gives the warrior freedom of movement while the billowing pants allow for horseback riding. See M. Zebrowski, Deccani Painting, 1983 p. 25 fig. 12, for a similar rendering of a Turkman warrior though without the decorative scrollwork on the shield, at the Freer Gallery of Art.

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