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Lot Essay
This folio represents a popular subject in Indian painting, the love between Sultan Baz Bahadur and his courtesan Rupmati. Baz Bahadur (r. 1555-61) was the last king of Malwa before its absorption into the Mughal Empire who fell for the beautiful musician, dancer and poetess Rupmati after encountering her on a hunting trip. Rupmati was made Queen of Malwa, but the fantastic love story came to a tragic end in 1561, when the Mughal Emperor Akbar and his forces took the kingdom. Baz Bahadur fled without his beloved Rupmati, who then decided to commit suicide rather than submit to their conqueror.
In the present painting, the two are wildly absorbed in each other’s gaze, illuminated against the dark somber night. They are completely oblivious to their soon to be ill-fated ending, as an army of soldiers follow in their wake. Dark, theriomorphic clouds gather above the soldiers. This subject, due to its representation of a great short-lived passion and an impending despair, was particularly popular in 18th century Mughal painting, as the imperial capital, Delhi, was subject to constant threat and decline. For another Delhi school example from the same period, a similar painting is published in D. Ehnbom, Indian Miniatures: The Ehrenfeld Collection, New York, 1985, no. 30, pp. 76-77.
In the present painting, the two are wildly absorbed in each other’s gaze, illuminated against the dark somber night. They are completely oblivious to their soon to be ill-fated ending, as an army of soldiers follow in their wake. Dark, theriomorphic clouds gather above the soldiers. This subject, due to its representation of a great short-lived passion and an impending despair, was particularly popular in 18th century Mughal painting, as the imperial capital, Delhi, was subject to constant threat and decline. For another Delhi school example from the same period, a similar painting is published in D. Ehnbom, Indian Miniatures: The Ehrenfeld Collection, New York, 1985, no. 30, pp. 76-77.