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Lot Essay
The inscription in nasta'liq script reads "Jim Baha'i" (Brother Baha'i ?) and "'Uthman Ji Puri 5771 (or 1775)".
This work is reminiscent of the monumental portrait of the Monkey Husayni, painted in Udaipur circa 1700, from which the present painting's composition and scale seems to be inspired (Sotheby's London, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection - Part Two, 31 May 2011, lot 39). The two animals wear a collar and it is probable that similarly to the Monkey Husayni, our animal was a gift made to an important figure. In his discussion of the Udaipur painting, Stuart Cary Welch links the portrait to earlier Mughal animal studies developed by artists such as Mansur as well as to the fashion for maintaining exotic menageries.
This work is reminiscent of the monumental portrait of the Monkey Husayni, painted in Udaipur circa 1700, from which the present painting's composition and scale seems to be inspired (Sotheby's London, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection - Part Two, 31 May 2011, lot 39). The two animals wear a collar and it is probable that similarly to the Monkey Husayni, our animal was a gift made to an important figure. In his discussion of the Udaipur painting, Stuart Cary Welch links the portrait to earlier Mughal animal studies developed by artists such as Mansur as well as to the fashion for maintaining exotic menageries.