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Lot Essay
Ladies visiting a yogi or yogini had already become a trope in Deccani painting by the end of the 17th century and this may have been a considerable influence on Mughal, Lucknow and Murshidabad painting of the 18th century (J.P. Losty, Into the Indian Mind, An insight through portraits, battles and epics in Indian painting, Francesca Galloway exhibition catalogue, London, 2015, p.62). It has also been suggested that the abolition of the jiyzya tax under the Emperor Muhammad Shah (r. 1719-38) allowed greater renewed interest in imagery relating to non-Muslim religious subjects which was reflected in 18th century Mughal painting (J.P. Losty and Malini Roy, Mughal India, Art, Culture and Empire, London, 2012, p.175). Additionally, during the reign of Muhammad Shah (r. 1719-48) a greater number of paintings depicted the royal ladies of the zenana and their activities, which, combined with the increasing interest in religious imagery, gives context to the present composition. The present lot can be related to a painting of an ascetic with companions on a terrace which shows a very similar pink-robed figure with tall tubular cap and smoking from a huqqa which is in the Czartoryski Museum, Poland (XV-Ew.rys.2593). Attributed to Mughal India or the Deccan in the second half of the 17th century, it is tempting to wonder whether that or a similar work, served as inspiration to the 18th century Mughal atelier.
Under Muhammad Shah there was a brief but brilliant revival of Mughal court painting. The palette of cool whites supplemented by vivid colour, individualised portraiture accented with careful shading, refined details and the overall tranquillity of the painting are characteristic of the style favoured under Muhammad Shah. From the small but accomplished atelier of Muhammad Shah this painting seems most similar to the works of Muhammad Afzal, who was active in Delhi during the 1740s before later moving to Lucknow. According to John Seyller, Afzal's work is characterised by the full-cheeked and rounded faces with careful modelling around the mouth. The eyes are gently slanting with rounded sockets above and below (Eva and Konrad Seitz Collection of Indian Miniatures, Zurich, 2010, p.71). Our figures, especially the ladies, are very closely comparable to a painting of court ladies playing with fireworks inscribed in the lower painting to Muhammad Afzal now in the Smithsonian Museum (F1924.6). Particular similarity can be seen in the portrait of the lady in three quarter profile turning to speak to her companion with left arm raised to the figure third from the left in the Smithsonian painting. Similar figures can be seen in two paintings attributed to Muhammad Afzal formerly in the collection of Eva and Konrad Seitz. The first depicts an inebriated prince with ladies on a terrace (Seyller, op.cit, no. 18, p.72) and the second a princess with musicians on a terrace (Seyller, op.cit., no. 19, p. 75; sold Sotheby's London, 30 April 2025, lot 576).
Muhammad Afzal is praised for his interest in shadow which is not allowed to dominate over his brilliant use of colour (Seyller, op.cit., p.71) as demonstrated in the present lot. The composition is dominated by the large white platform upon which the central figures are. The use of a clean white ground without the use of ground shadows is also given as typical of Muhammad Afzal's style (Seyller, op.cit., p.75) and relates closely to the two ex-Seitz collection paintings mentioned above. Further paintings inscribed to Muhammad Afzal are in the British Library (see Falk and Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India office library, London, 1981, no. 179, p.423), the Raza Library, Rampur (see Schmitz and Desai, Mughal and Persian Paintings and Illustrated Mansucripts in the Raza Library, Rampur, New Delhi 2006, pl.154) and another formerly in the collection of Edwin Binney 3rd and the Khosrovani-Diba Collection sold at Sotheby's London, 19 October 2016, lot 18. An illustration to the Baramasa attributable to Muhammad Afzal formerly in the collection of Walter and Fiona Goetz was sold in these Rooms, 19 July 2022, lot 111.
Under Muhammad Shah there was a brief but brilliant revival of Mughal court painting. The palette of cool whites supplemented by vivid colour, individualised portraiture accented with careful shading, refined details and the overall tranquillity of the painting are characteristic of the style favoured under Muhammad Shah. From the small but accomplished atelier of Muhammad Shah this painting seems most similar to the works of Muhammad Afzal, who was active in Delhi during the 1740s before later moving to Lucknow. According to John Seyller, Afzal's work is characterised by the full-cheeked and rounded faces with careful modelling around the mouth. The eyes are gently slanting with rounded sockets above and below (Eva and Konrad Seitz Collection of Indian Miniatures, Zurich, 2010, p.71). Our figures, especially the ladies, are very closely comparable to a painting of court ladies playing with fireworks inscribed in the lower painting to Muhammad Afzal now in the Smithsonian Museum (F1924.6). Particular similarity can be seen in the portrait of the lady in three quarter profile turning to speak to her companion with left arm raised to the figure third from the left in the Smithsonian painting. Similar figures can be seen in two paintings attributed to Muhammad Afzal formerly in the collection of Eva and Konrad Seitz. The first depicts an inebriated prince with ladies on a terrace (Seyller, op.cit, no. 18, p.72) and the second a princess with musicians on a terrace (Seyller, op.cit., no. 19, p. 75; sold Sotheby's London, 30 April 2025, lot 576).
Muhammad Afzal is praised for his interest in shadow which is not allowed to dominate over his brilliant use of colour (Seyller, op.cit., p.71) as demonstrated in the present lot. The composition is dominated by the large white platform upon which the central figures are. The use of a clean white ground without the use of ground shadows is also given as typical of Muhammad Afzal's style (Seyller, op.cit., p.75) and relates closely to the two ex-Seitz collection paintings mentioned above. Further paintings inscribed to Muhammad Afzal are in the British Library (see Falk and Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India office library, London, 1981, no. 179, p.423), the Raza Library, Rampur (see Schmitz and Desai, Mughal and Persian Paintings and Illustrated Mansucripts in the Raza Library, Rampur, New Delhi 2006, pl.154) and another formerly in the collection of Edwin Binney 3rd and the Khosrovani-Diba Collection sold at Sotheby's London, 19 October 2016, lot 18. An illustration to the Baramasa attributable to Muhammad Afzal formerly in the collection of Walter and Fiona Goetz was sold in these Rooms, 19 July 2022, lot 111.