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Lot Essay
INSCRIPTION NOTES:
Above, shabiy-e gul safa shahzadi 'Portrait of Princess Gul Safa'; Below, amal-e manohar 'Work of Manohar'
Whilst the crutch, mat and legs tied together suggest a typical depiction of a Sufi mendicant, the present lot is unusual for its depiction of a woman as indicated by her breasts and bundle of long hair bursting out from beneath the turban. The inscription above suggests this might be a portrait of Gul Safa Lahori, the sweetheart of Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh. Another, more typical, portrait of Gul Safa is in the Johnson Album, now in the British Library. Given Dara Shikoh’s strong Sufi leanings, it is perhaps unsurprising that his consorts were similarly spiritually inclined.
Above, shabiy-e gul safa shahzadi 'Portrait of Princess Gul Safa'; Below, amal-e manohar 'Work of Manohar'
Whilst the crutch, mat and legs tied together suggest a typical depiction of a Sufi mendicant, the present lot is unusual for its depiction of a woman as indicated by her breasts and bundle of long hair bursting out from beneath the turban. The inscription above suggests this might be a portrait of Gul Safa Lahori, the sweetheart of Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh. Another, more typical, portrait of Gul Safa is in the Johnson Album, now in the British Library. Given Dara Shikoh’s strong Sufi leanings, it is perhaps unsurprising that his consorts were similarly spiritually inclined.