SIGNED YUSUF 'ALI, MUGHAL INDIA, 1616-17

This miniature comes from a dispersed copy of the Razmnama, a Persian translation of the Hindu Mahabharata which was originally commissioned by the Emperor Akbar in 1582. 'Abd al-Rahim Khan, a minister, commander and indeed poet under Akbar, commissioned the (now dispersed) copy of the manuscript from which this comes, which is dated AH 1025/1616 AD. Illustrated in the Mughal style, with strong Hindu tendencies, the leading artist working on this manuscript was Fazl, and his signature is found on many of the illustrations throughout the work. He appears to have been a favourite of 'Abd al-Rahim and his work is found in several other Akbari era manuscripts commissioned by him, (Stuart Cary Welch, The Art of Mughal India, New York, 1963, pl. 33, p. 74).

Other leaves from this manuscript are in the collection of Edwin Binney 3rd, (Indian Miniature Painting from the Collection of Edwin Binney 3rd, exhibition catalogue, Portland, Oregon, 1974, no. 35, pp. 60-61); in a Private Collection (Stuart Cary Welch, The Art of Mughal India, New York, 1976, no.33). Further leaves from this manuscript have been offered in these Rooms, 15 October 1996, lot 30, 15 October 2002, lot 187, 17 April 2007, lot 216 (a composite folio), 7 October 2008, lot 229 and most recently 26 April 2012, lot 7.