MUGHAL INDIA, 17TH CENTURY

This depiction of a rearing stallion demonstrates the influence that European printmaking and engravings had on Mughal painting. The features, pose and background in our painting are closely comparable to an engraving by Hieronymus Wierix (1553-1619) of the horse Gallicus based on the design by Jan van der Straet (also known as Stradanus, 1523-1607), that was part of his series recording the horses of Don John of Austria, Equile Ioannis Austriaci Caroli V Imp.F. European engravings were brought to the Mughal court by Jesuit missionaries and European traders in the late sixteenth century and served as an important resource for artists in the Imperial atelier. The interest in European engravings, and the level to which they were held in esteem, is demonstrated by the inclusion of two small engravings on a folio from the Gulshan album, now in the Náprstek Museum, Prague (Inv.no.A12183). Abu’l Hasan, La’l, Manohar, Basawan and Keshav Das are just some of the Mughal artists to whom European-inspired paintings are attributed. The whimsical townscape in the background is likely also inspired by European engravings but with the addition of two roaming elephants and is comparable to the background of a late seventeenth century painting of a Royal Cavalcade of Hunters and a Chenchu couple stalking deer by night which was sold in these Rooms, 27 October 2022, lot 95.