DELHI OR AWADH, PROVINCIAL MUGHAL, NORTH INDIA, LATE 18TH CENTURY

The tale of Yusuf and Zulaykha was a common subject for artists working in Delhi and Lucknow in the late 18th century. The fur-lined hats and dresses of the figures are reminiscent of a painting by Faizullah, an Awadhi artist active during the 1760s and 1770s, which depicts the women of Egypt cutting their fingers whilst peeling oranges when they first catch a glimpse of Yusuf (Markel and Gude, 2011, no.24, p.173). Album pages with broad borders comprising single large flowering plants, similar to the present lot, were also being produced in Delhi towards the end of the 18th century. For comparison see Falk and Archer, 1981, no. 230; and Christie’s South Kensington, 11 April 2014, lot 71.