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Lot Essay
The present watercolour was executed by an artist in Lucknow, circa 1840. An inscription on the reverse of the watercolour, in French gives details about the Imambara and reads: 'The whole of this Mosque, garden and enclosures for rhinoceros and the most rare animals forms the tomb of the King of Lucknow [Ali Shah] who was still alive while I was staying in the capital...'. A further inscription mentions Prince Aleksei Dmitrievich Soltykov (1806-1859), the travel writer and engraver (see lot 33) who may have once owned the watercolour, and may have been in Lucknow at this time (he was in India between 1841 and 1846).
The watercolour is a very rare example of an architectural painting by a Lucknow artist. The majority of material in Lucknow at the time of the 1857/8 siege was destroyed and thus little is known about the paintings of this period.
The Husainabad Imambara or Palace of Lights, built in 1837 by Muhammad Ali Shah (1736-1842), stands in a large quadrangle. An imambara is a palace where the festival of Muharram is celebrated and can also be used as a mausoleum. Such palaces are usually decorated, unlike a masjid, and dedicated to three imams: 'Ali, Hasan and Husain.
The watercolour is a very rare example of an architectural painting by a Lucknow artist. The majority of material in Lucknow at the time of the 1857/8 siege was destroyed and thus little is known about the paintings of this period.
The Husainabad Imambara or Palace of Lights, built in 1837 by Muhammad Ali Shah (1736-1842), stands in a large quadrangle. An imambara is a palace where the festival of Muharram is celebrated and can also be used as a mausoleum. Such palaces are usually decorated, unlike a masjid, and dedicated to three imams: 'Ali, Hasan and Husain.