A Page from a Dispersed Historical Manuscript: A Prince and His Royal Army Receiving Tribute Before a Walled City, possibly by Surdas

INDIA, MUGHAL, CIRCA 1585

Details

A Page from a Dispersed Historical Manuscript: A Prince and His Royal Army Receiving Tribute Before a Walled City, possibly by Surdas
India, Mughal, circa 1585
Very finely painted with a royal figure at center on a jeweled and armored horse with hand outstretched wearing a green tunic, his army behind him consisting of armored soliders wearing brightly patterned clothing on horseback, elephants, and camels, with flag-bearers and musicians and drummers at top right and huntsmen below presenting the emperor with quarry, the trees very naturalistically painted in the distance surrounding a walled city at top left, painted with gold border in vine motif and signed Mir Kalan
The folio: 21¾ x 151/8 in. (55.2 x 38.4 cm.); image: 13¾ x 9¼ in. (35 x 23.5 cm.)

Literature

M.H. De Young Memorial Museum, Indian Miniature Paintings from West Coast Collections, 1964, cat. no. 16
J.L. Davidson, Art of the Indian Subcontinent from Los Angeles Collections, 1968, illus no. 136

Exhibited

San Diego, The Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, 1959
San Francisco, M.H. De Young Memorial Museum Golden Gate Park, Indian Miniature Paintings from West Coast Private Collections, 1964
Los Angeles, UCLA Art Galleries, Art of the Indian Subcontinent from Los Angeles Collections, 1968
Previously on loan to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1972-1974

Lot Essay

This painting has previously been published and exhibited as a page from the Baburnama depicting Humayun. However, the size of the current painting does not match with sizes either from extant Baburnama or Akbarnama series paintings. Instead, it is likely that this painting is part of an as of yet unidentified large format historical series. For other pages that may have comprised this series, see the Binney work published at Sotheby's London, 13 April 1976, lot 23; and another at Sotheby's London, 7 July 1975, lot 14. The sizes of all three paintings are fairly equivalent and indicates that this series was of similar proportions to the Bankipore Timurnama, one of the largest known Mughal manuscripts.
The inscription by Mir Kalan is not contemporary with the painting but could likely have been made by the album mounter.
This work was featured in James Ivory's documentary film about Indian miniature painting, The Sword and the Flute, 1959.

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