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Lot Essay
Like every other stage of the shawl making process, the acquisition of the shawls by merchants involved the participation of several specialised individuals. A key role was played by the muqim, a broker who was involved at almost every stage of the shawl making process. First he would discuss the design with the head weaver in order to determine "the kind and pattern of shawl goods most likely to find a ready sale" (Moorcroft 1823, p.9). He also played a role in securing the equipment and materials for the shawl. He would return once the shawl was completed to collect it and settle the asking price. Then they would be able to present it to merchants, taking a commission of between 2 and 5% (Moorcroft 1823, p.20). As well as a wide range of specialist artisans, the global reach of the shawl industry evidently nurtured a comprador class in Kashmir who traded, not on their artistic skills, but on their capital and their negotiating ability.
The skill of the artist vividly evokes the characters in the scene, and the complex power dynamics at play. The merchants are visibly outsiders. According to Frank Ames, in the mid-19th century the main customers for Kashmir shawls were Persians, who exported the shawls into Iran, and Hindus, who took the shawls South (Ames 1997, p.33). A man writing in the centre of the scene uses a script that connects at the bottom, like Persian, rather than at the top, like the Sharada alphabet used for Kashmiri at the time, and thus identifies himself as a Persian. Meanwhile several of the figures in the room, such as the two red-turbaned figures to the lower right corner, have tilaka marks on their foreheads, identifying them as Hindus. They carry with them the material trappings of wealth: many wear jewellery and have gold edgings on their clothes. The central figure has a golden penbox below his knee. The merchant in a dark robe to the right of the scene also holds an elaborate cane, with a carved bird’s head for a handle. Interestingly, many wear plain-coloured shawls around the waist or draped over the shoulder, indicating that they were buyers of these textiles as well as sellers. The finely-dressed central figure bears some similarity with the shawl merchant depicted by Bishan Singh in a signed portrait which sold Sotheby’s London, 30 April 2025, lot 623.
This scene takes place in the most extravagant interior of the entire series. Highly elaborate pietra dura work decorates the walls, and an enormous patterned carpet covers the floor. The open windows and receding rooms glanced through doors on both sides give this room a sense of light and space which is absent from the cramped workshops which appear earlier in the group. Based on Thomas Vigne’s account, this may actually be the home of a muqim. According to Vigne, the muqim would invite merchants to stay with them in the valley, extending every hospitality to those who found "well-timed civility irresistible". Shawl manufacturers would come to show their wares to these merchants, and to ensure that all transactions took place under the watchful eye of the muqim, who always had one eye on his commission (Vigne 1842, p.133). The well-decorated interior may have served to impress these visitors from out of town. The most obvious status symbol in this painting is the European clock which appears above the main figure, with Roman numerals around the dial. In a rare oversight, the artist has not quite understood the sequence of the numbers correctly.
The execution of this painting, with an extensive use of uncoloured space, evokes the magnificent durbar scenes painted by Bishan Singh. This includes a depiction of the court of Ranjit Singh sold Sotheby’s London, 31 March 2021, lot 44, which also has a similar carpet and was dated to VS 1927⁄1870-1 AD. Pencil lines visible through the skirts of the two figure to the right of the scene give a clue as to how Bishan Singh constructed these complex gatherings: beginning with ruled lines to draw out the space, he then populated the scene with figures. Those two figures, who proudly display a completed shawl to two merchants, are strikingly similar to a pair who appear in the Bishan Singh painting in the Musée Guimet, where they are similarly placed in the right hand side of the painting.
The skill of the artist vividly evokes the characters in the scene, and the complex power dynamics at play. The merchants are visibly outsiders. According to Frank Ames, in the mid-19th century the main customers for Kashmir shawls were Persians, who exported the shawls into Iran, and Hindus, who took the shawls South (Ames 1997, p.33). A man writing in the centre of the scene uses a script that connects at the bottom, like Persian, rather than at the top, like the Sharada alphabet used for Kashmiri at the time, and thus identifies himself as a Persian. Meanwhile several of the figures in the room, such as the two red-turbaned figures to the lower right corner, have tilaka marks on their foreheads, identifying them as Hindus. They carry with them the material trappings of wealth: many wear jewellery and have gold edgings on their clothes. The central figure has a golden penbox below his knee. The merchant in a dark robe to the right of the scene also holds an elaborate cane, with a carved bird’s head for a handle. Interestingly, many wear plain-coloured shawls around the waist or draped over the shoulder, indicating that they were buyers of these textiles as well as sellers. The finely-dressed central figure bears some similarity with the shawl merchant depicted by Bishan Singh in a signed portrait which sold Sotheby’s London, 30 April 2025, lot 623.
This scene takes place in the most extravagant interior of the entire series. Highly elaborate pietra dura work decorates the walls, and an enormous patterned carpet covers the floor. The open windows and receding rooms glanced through doors on both sides give this room a sense of light and space which is absent from the cramped workshops which appear earlier in the group. Based on Thomas Vigne’s account, this may actually be the home of a muqim. According to Vigne, the muqim would invite merchants to stay with them in the valley, extending every hospitality to those who found "well-timed civility irresistible". Shawl manufacturers would come to show their wares to these merchants, and to ensure that all transactions took place under the watchful eye of the muqim, who always had one eye on his commission (Vigne 1842, p.133). The well-decorated interior may have served to impress these visitors from out of town. The most obvious status symbol in this painting is the European clock which appears above the main figure, with Roman numerals around the dial. In a rare oversight, the artist has not quite understood the sequence of the numbers correctly.
The execution of this painting, with an extensive use of uncoloured space, evokes the magnificent durbar scenes painted by Bishan Singh. This includes a depiction of the court of Ranjit Singh sold Sotheby’s London, 31 March 2021, lot 44, which also has a similar carpet and was dated to VS 1927⁄1870-1 AD. Pencil lines visible through the skirts of the two figure to the right of the scene give a clue as to how Bishan Singh constructed these complex gatherings: beginning with ruled lines to draw out the space, he then populated the scene with figures. Those two figures, who proudly display a completed shawl to two merchants, are strikingly similar to a pair who appear in the Bishan Singh painting in the Musée Guimet, where they are similarly placed in the right hand side of the painting.