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Lot Essay
This charming painting is an early copy of a painting dated circa 1650 in the Chester Beatty Library (7B.24) with the signature "picture of His Excellency Shaikh Sa'di of Shiraz, the work of the painter Bichitr, the slave of Emperor Shah Jahan, Warrior for the faith" (Linda York Leach, Mughal and other Indian Paintings from the Chester Beatty Library, vol.1, London 1995, no.3.57; for a full illustration of the painting, see Richard Ettinghausen, 'The Emperor’s Choice', ed. Millard Meiss, De Artibus Opuscula 40, 1961, vol.2, fig.4). The 13th-century poet is depicted as an elderly man holding out a book, backed by two sufi companions and a standing servant. Its pendant, depicting the 15th-century Timurid poet Jami in a similar fashion, was thought to have been lost until it was sold at Sotheby's, New York, 17 March 2015, lot 1183. Given the accuracy with which our painter has rendered Bichitr's painting, it must have been accessible to our artist, who may likewise have executed a similar Jami pendant.
The figures of Bichitr were in turn based on a painting by Abu'l Hasan attributed to circa 1616 in the Walters Art Museum (W.668, fol.37). It shows eight men surrounding the identical, stooped figure of Sa'di, who is presenting a book to someone depicted on the right-hand page, presumably the Mughal Emperor Jahangir (r.1605-27), who was fond of the mystic poet (Milo Cleveland Beach, The Grand Mogul: Imperial Painting in India 1600-1660, Massachusetts 1978, no.27). Most of Abu'l Hasan's figures are faithfully rendered, except for the man in the right foreground, looking at the viewer, who has been identified as the Safavid ruler Shah Isma'il, with his qizilbash headdress (ibid.). This headdress has, however, been slightly altered by both Bichitr and our artist into a turban with a concave cap. Comparable figures and compositions in Bichitr's signed and attributed works are the Sufi in 'Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Sheikh to Kings' of ca. 1615-20 (Freer Gallery of Art, F.1942.15) and two probably facing Late Shah Jahan Album pages depicting similar Sufis or poets during a majlis within a similar landscape (Okada 1992, and Leach (1995). Most recently, another similar Sa'di painting, but with a different motif (a Sufi concert, sama'), attributed to Hunhar, circa 1550-60, was sold at Sotheby's, London, 30 April 2025, lot 566.
The borders of our painting suggest that it formed part of an album in 18th century Lucknow, and it is interesting to consider a continued association between between Sufis and poets, such as in the mid 17th century Late Shah Jahan album which included a section devoted to that theme, as discussed by Elaine Wright (Muraqqa: Imperial Mughal Albums from the Chester Beatty Library, Alexandria 2008, no.63B, p.389; p.460. no.2). Interestingly, around the same time that ourpainting was mounted in Lucknow, the attribution to Balchand, active in the same period as Bichitr, was added.
Through his stories and counselling of mercy, tolerance and restraint, Sa'di was widely known and loved in Mughal India. According to Linda York Leach, "Some of Sa‘di’s stories are recollections of the poet’s own experience which enhance the warmth and immediacy of his account and in turn called forth a response from Mughal artists," who prioritised depicting his lyrical, humanist stories on youth and love (Linda York Leach, op.cit., p.36). Jami likewise enjoyed popularity at the Mughal courts and had his work widely illustrated. Both were depicted within the genre of fabled holy men in imaginary and idealised assemblies (Milo Cleveland Beach, The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court, Ahmedabad 2012, p.164; for an imagined single portrait of Jami sold in these Rooms as part of The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, see 28 April 2026, lot 21).
The Persian qasida praising 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (d.661) on the reverse has been attributed in one source to Asir Shahristani (d.1639). The calligraphy is signed by Muhammad Afzal, not to be confused with the 18th-century painter from the atelier of Emperor Muhammad Shah (r.1719-48) of the same name (for a painting attributed to him and sold in these Rooms, see 28 April 2026, lot 70). Our Muhammad Afzal is mentioned as a pupil of Muhammad ‘Arif, who was active in the first quarter of the 18th century (Mawlana Ghulam Muhammad Dihlavi, The Tadhkira-I Khushnavisan, ed. M. Hidayet Husain, Calcutta 1910, p. 126).
The figures of Bichitr were in turn based on a painting by Abu'l Hasan attributed to circa 1616 in the Walters Art Museum (W.668, fol.37). It shows eight men surrounding the identical, stooped figure of Sa'di, who is presenting a book to someone depicted on the right-hand page, presumably the Mughal Emperor Jahangir (r.1605-27), who was fond of the mystic poet (Milo Cleveland Beach, The Grand Mogul: Imperial Painting in India 1600-1660, Massachusetts 1978, no.27). Most of Abu'l Hasan's figures are faithfully rendered, except for the man in the right foreground, looking at the viewer, who has been identified as the Safavid ruler Shah Isma'il, with his qizilbash headdress (ibid.). This headdress has, however, been slightly altered by both Bichitr and our artist into a turban with a concave cap. Comparable figures and compositions in Bichitr's signed and attributed works are the Sufi in 'Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Sheikh to Kings' of ca. 1615-20 (Freer Gallery of Art, F.1942.15) and two probably facing Late Shah Jahan Album pages depicting similar Sufis or poets during a majlis within a similar landscape (Okada 1992, and Leach (1995). Most recently, another similar Sa'di painting, but with a different motif (a Sufi concert, sama'), attributed to Hunhar, circa 1550-60, was sold at Sotheby's, London, 30 April 2025, lot 566.
The borders of our painting suggest that it formed part of an album in 18th century Lucknow, and it is interesting to consider a continued association between between Sufis and poets, such as in the mid 17th century Late Shah Jahan album which included a section devoted to that theme, as discussed by Elaine Wright (Muraqqa: Imperial Mughal Albums from the Chester Beatty Library, Alexandria 2008, no.63B, p.389; p.460. no.2). Interestingly, around the same time that ourpainting was mounted in Lucknow, the attribution to Balchand, active in the same period as Bichitr, was added.
Through his stories and counselling of mercy, tolerance and restraint, Sa'di was widely known and loved in Mughal India. According to Linda York Leach, "Some of Sa‘di’s stories are recollections of the poet’s own experience which enhance the warmth and immediacy of his account and in turn called forth a response from Mughal artists," who prioritised depicting his lyrical, humanist stories on youth and love (Linda York Leach, op.cit., p.36). Jami likewise enjoyed popularity at the Mughal courts and had his work widely illustrated. Both were depicted within the genre of fabled holy men in imaginary and idealised assemblies (Milo Cleveland Beach, The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court, Ahmedabad 2012, p.164; for an imagined single portrait of Jami sold in these Rooms as part of The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, see 28 April 2026, lot 21).
The Persian qasida praising 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (d.661) on the reverse has been attributed in one source to Asir Shahristani (d.1639). The calligraphy is signed by Muhammad Afzal, not to be confused with the 18th-century painter from the atelier of Emperor Muhammad Shah (r.1719-48) of the same name (for a painting attributed to him and sold in these Rooms, see 28 April 2026, lot 70). Our Muhammad Afzal is mentioned as a pupil of Muhammad ‘Arif, who was active in the first quarter of the 18th century (Mawlana Ghulam Muhammad Dihlavi, The Tadhkira-I Khushnavisan, ed. M. Hidayet Husain, Calcutta 1910, p. 126).