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Lot Essay
During the reign of Burhan Nizam Shah II (r. 1591-5), a new school of drawing developed at the court of Ahmednagar. Burhan had spent years in exile at the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605), patronizing upon his return a lively Mughal style (Mark Zebrowski, Deccani Painting, London, 1983, p.27, fig.16), while also developing a taste reflecting the 16th century Turkmen style in the Deccan. This is seen in the simple ink and line, as well as other techniques used, such as the stippling and shading (Navina Najat Haidar and Marika Sardar, Sultans of Deccan India 1500-1700: Opulence and Fantasy , p.66). The use of stippling here is on the finely detailed moustache visible on the man on the right side of the stream.
A painting from Ahmednagar of a royal picnic is in the British Library (Add.Or.3004). Attributed to circa 1590-95, it has similar figures and facial types as those in our painting. However, despite the similar techniques used, an individualism is evident in these Ahmadnagar drawings that defies their classification (Haidar and Sardar, op.cit.). The two men here, probably a student and his teacher, are discussing a poem by the Timurid poet Jami (d. 1492) who was popular in India before and after his death and was formally invited to the Deccan by the Bahmanshahs (1347-1527) as part of turning Bidar into a major centre for culture (Hamid Algar, Jami, Oxford, 2013, p.126-9; see lot 21 in the present sale for a Mughal portrait of Jami). The peaceful, poetic drawing stands in contrast to the tumultuous times that were to follow towards the end of the 16th century that would put an end to the production of “the Deccani centre where the Turco-Iranian taste for elegant drawing was most appreciated” (Zebrowski, op.cit., p.32).
A painting from Ahmednagar of a royal picnic is in the British Library (Add.Or.3004). Attributed to circa 1590-95, it has similar figures and facial types as those in our painting. However, despite the similar techniques used, an individualism is evident in these Ahmadnagar drawings that defies their classification (Haidar and Sardar, op.cit.). The two men here, probably a student and his teacher, are discussing a poem by the Timurid poet Jami (d. 1492) who was popular in India before and after his death and was formally invited to the Deccan by the Bahmanshahs (1347-1527) as part of turning Bidar into a major centre for culture (Hamid Algar, Jami, Oxford, 2013, p.126-9; see lot 21 in the present sale for a Mughal portrait of Jami). The peaceful, poetic drawing stands in contrast to the tumultuous times that were to follow towards the end of the 16th century that would put an end to the production of “the Deccani centre where the Turco-Iranian taste for elegant drawing was most appreciated” (Zebrowski, op.cit., p.32).