NORTH INDIA, FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY

Depictions of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar (r.1712-19) in durbar are rare. This may in part be due to the brevity of his rule or the fact that he was Mughal Emperor in name only, with all effective power controlled by the Sayyid brothers (For a painting of Farrukhsiyar receiving Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan see British Library, Johnson Album, 18.5). Nonetheless, whilst this painting is impressive in its size and lavish details it simultaneously feels intimate and calm. The Emperor holding council from his throne with just a small group of close courtiers - perhaps the Sayyid brothers. The artist has given unusual space to the space above, emphasising the height of the magnificently lofty double throne canopy and scalloped arches above. In the lower section of the painting the eye is drawn to the impressive green ground Mughal 'flower and lattice' carpet. A comparable painting of Farrukhsiyar enthroned is in the David Collection, Copenhagen (26⁄1982). That painting also shows the emperor framed within an interior architectural setting and the noble facing him there is very similar in appearance to that closest to the Emperor on the left hand side in our painting.