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Lot Essay
Immersed within a lush jungle, the nobleman commands his majestic white steed through the hilly terrain of his hunt. He handles the horse’s reigns with one hand, the other gloved, and supporting an alert sporting hawk. His matching turban and jama of deep green and gold foliate-patterned fabric highlights the brilliant textile tradition of the Deccan. His attendants, dressed in all white, carry a sack, a ground cover, and a bidri style inlaid huqqa, in order to prepare a leisurely camp. The loyal saluki, eagerly looking up at his nobleman, dutifully trots behind the group. With no horizon line, the scene creates an immersive journey within the Deccani landscape, with a gazelle, cheetahs, hares and birds abounding in never ending forest green ground.
The seal and painted inscription identifies the portrait to be of Khajeh Muhammad Sa’id ibn Khajeh Naslin Naqshbandi, and dates the work to 1127 AH (circa 1715 AD). While Muhammad Sa’id is not a known historical figure, the title Khajeh and surname Naqshbandi signify the nobleman is possibly a leader within the Sufi tradition. The attending figures are identified as Murad and Darvishi.
Horseback sporting scenes were a favored subject amongst the many Deccani schools of paintings. Notable examples include Farrukh Beg’s portrait of Sultan Ibrahim ‘Adil Shah II hawking at the Russian Academy of Sciences (acc. no. Ms.E.14.fol.2) and a circa 1660 view of princely deer hunters from Bijapur from the Stuart Carey Welch collection (see N. Haider and M. Sardar, Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy, p. 151, no. 68). The present painting more closely compares to a portrait of Ali Asghar Khan at the Museum Rietberg (see M. Zebrowksi, Deccani Painting, London, 1983, fig. 206), which likewise is mostly in jungle green and features no horizon. The splendid gold and green jama can be compared to that worn by Sultan ‘Abdullah Qutb Shah from Golconda, circa 1660, at the Musée National des Artes Asiatiques-Guimet (acc. no. MA 5026), a style also seen in a portrait of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in a circa 1655 portrait in the Howard Hodgkin Collection loan at the Ashmolean Museum (loan no. LI118.88).
The seal and painted inscription identifies the portrait to be of Khajeh Muhammad Sa’id ibn Khajeh Naslin Naqshbandi, and dates the work to 1127 AH (circa 1715 AD). While Muhammad Sa’id is not a known historical figure, the title Khajeh and surname Naqshbandi signify the nobleman is possibly a leader within the Sufi tradition. The attending figures are identified as Murad and Darvishi.
Horseback sporting scenes were a favored subject amongst the many Deccani schools of paintings. Notable examples include Farrukh Beg’s portrait of Sultan Ibrahim ‘Adil Shah II hawking at the Russian Academy of Sciences (acc. no. Ms.E.14.fol.2) and a circa 1660 view of princely deer hunters from Bijapur from the Stuart Carey Welch collection (see N. Haider and M. Sardar, Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy, p. 151, no. 68). The present painting more closely compares to a portrait of Ali Asghar Khan at the Museum Rietberg (see M. Zebrowksi, Deccani Painting, London, 1983, fig. 206), which likewise is mostly in jungle green and features no horizon. The splendid gold and green jama can be compared to that worn by Sultan ‘Abdullah Qutb Shah from Golconda, circa 1660, at the Musée National des Artes Asiatiques-Guimet (acc. no. MA 5026), a style also seen in a portrait of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in a circa 1655 portrait in the Howard Hodgkin Collection loan at the Ashmolean Museum (loan no. LI118.88).