Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Pair of Pottery Court Ladies

Chinese, Tang Dynasty, circa 618-907 A.D.
Height: 19 cm–19.5 cm

Each wearing a high-waisted pleated dress and shawl. Her hair arranged elaborately on top of her head.

PROVENANCE
John Sparks, Mount Street, London
Private collection, London, mid-1960s-2024

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Qalyan Cup Commissioned for Prince Mas’ud Mirza Zill Al-Sultan (1850-1918)
Qajar Enamelled Gold Cup from a Water-pipe (Qalyan)

Persia, dated A.H. 1282/1865-66 A.D.

With two cusped figural medallions of a family group, one perhaps the Virgin and Child with St. Joseph, alternating with two oval portraits, the latter two inscribed in a cartouche of nasta’liq above and below, reserved on a ground of champlevé enamel with birds, flowers and foliate motifs enclosing four halfmedallions each containing a semi-nude odalisque, on a wood foot carved with foliate motifs
6.2 cm., 2½ in. height; 8.1 cm., 3¹⁄8 in. diameter; 15.7 cm., 6¹⁄8 in. total height

Inscription:
“It was completed by the order of the Governor, the most Noble, the most Elevated, the Exalted Yamin al-Dawla – may my soul be sacrificed for him – drawn by the servant of the court Haydar ‘Ali ibn Muhammad Isma’il Naqqash-bashi A.H. 1282 / 1865-6 A.D.”

The Artist:
The skilled painter Haydar ‘Ali was the son of the artist Muhammad Isma’il, who flourished at the court of Naser al-Din Shah. This is his only known work in enamel, but he was wellknown for his works in lacquer, in particular pen-boxes. For a biography and list of works (in Persian), see KarimzadehTabrizi, M. A.,, The Lives and Art of Old Painters of Iran and a Selection of Masters from the Ottoman and Indian Regions, London, 1985, vol.1, pp.163-4.

For other works signed by Haydar ‘Ali:
(i) Attributed: Pencase with portraits of Sheikh Baha’I and Sufis, Khalili Collection, see Khalili, N.D., Robinson, B.W., Stanley, T., Lacquer of the Islamic Lands, Part Two, London, 1997, pp.39- 41, no.236
(ii) Signed by the artist: Lacquer pen-box (qalamdan), dated A.H. 1294 / 1877-78 A.D., Christie’s, London, 5 October 2010 lot 270 https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5358865
(iii) Signed by the artist: Lacquer pen-box: Sotheby’s, London, 19 October 2016, lot 216 https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/arts-of-the-islamic-world-l16223/lot.216.html

Zill Al-Sultan:
Prince Masoud Mirza Yamin al-Dawla Zill al-Sultan (1850-1918), fourth son of Naser al-Din Shah. As his mother was not of royal blood he was not in line to the Qajar throne, which was inherited by his brother, Muzaffar al-Din. He held the post of governor in various provinces of Persia, including Isfahan, where he was renowned for his cruelty and for the destruction of the extant Safavid palaces. For further information, see Bamdad, M., Dictionary of National Biography of Iran, Vol. 4, Tehran, 1966, pp. 78-100.

Provenance:
Commissioned by Prince Masoud Mirza Yamin al-Dawla Zill alSultan (1850-1918), fourth son of Naser al-Din Shah (1831-96)
Eskander Aryeh (1935-88), New York
Sotheby’s, London, 29 April 1993, lot 207
Mahmoud Khayami (1930-2020), inventory no. IGM241
Sotheby’s, London, 7 October 2009, lot 76
Private collection, London, 2009-24

Published:
Fraser, M., The Khayami Collection of Persian Art: a Concise Catalogue, vol II, London, 2004, p. 294, no. 457
Fraser, M., The Khayami Collection of Persian Art: a Concise Catalogue, vol II, London, 2004, p. 294, no. 457

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Qajar Semi-Circular Enamelled Gold Plaque with Qur’anic Inscription

Persia, 19th century

Of sheet gold with repoussé decoration comprising polychrome bouquets of flowers surrounding a black-ground star medallion of calligraphy flanked by two floral palmettes, the borders with linked vines and below a band of floral swags
21.4 by 11.5 cm. (framed), 8²⁄5 by 4½ in.

Inscriptions:
Qu’ran, Surat al-Fath (XLVIII), verse 1 ‘Surely We Have Given you a Clear Victory’
The inscription on this plaque is one of the key verses of the Qur’an, which is considered to refer to the important victory gained through the truce of Hudhaibiyya in Dhu’l-Qada of the year A.H. 6 / 628 A.D.

Provenance:
Eskander Aryeh (1935-88), New York
Mahmoud Khayami (1930-2020), inventory no. IGM213
Sotheby’s, London, 7 April 2011, lot 345
Private collection, London, 2011-24

Published: 
Fraser, M., The Khayami Collection of Persian Art: a Concise
Catalogue, vol. II, London, 2004, p. 274, no. 417

This exquisitely enamelled plaque is apparently unique and may have formed a component of a coffered box, as perhaps suggested by the rivets around the border. Boxes for mirrors were made in this form, see Fellinger, G. and Guillaume, C., L’Empire des roses: Chefs-d’oeuvre de l’art person du XIXe siècle, Paris, 2018, p.79, no.67. The inscription is skillfully set on a black ground surrounded by burgeoning flowers including roses, irises, anemones and chrysanthemums.

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Two Enamelled Gold Pendants in the Form of a Hawk

Persia, 19th century

(LEFT):
Set with foiled crystals/paste, painted in blue, pink, white and
green, a female bust amidst flowers on the reverse, fringed in
pearls, European bar-brooch attached
5.5 cm., 2⁴⁄8 in. length excluding bar

Provenance:
Private collection, England, 1960s-80s
Bonhams, London, 24 April 2012, lot 160
Private collection, London, 2012-24

Exhibited:
On loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973-86

A pendant of similar form is in the Khalili Collection, London, see
Vernoit, S., Occidentalism, Islamic Art in the 19th Century, Khalili
Collection, vol. XXIII, London, 1997, p.193, no.146

(RIGHT):
Paste-set and painted in white, red, blue and touches of green,
a female portrait bust amidst flowers on the reverse, fringed in
pearls, with a gold bar attachment and a metal chain
5.5 cm., 2⁴⁄8 in. length excluding bar

Provenance:
Eskander Aryeh (1935-88), New York
Bonhams, London, 19 April 2007, lot 249
Sotheby’s, London, 9 October 2013, lot 134
Private collection, London, 2013-24

Other examples of this type of pendant were sold at Sotheby’s,
London, 25 April 1991, lot 1136 and 16 October 1997, lot 64, the
latter illustrated in Hasson, R., Later Islamic Jewellery, Jerusalem, 1987, p.28, no.28

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Nawab with his armies on parade, possibly Alivardi Khan of Bengal (1671-1756)

Murshidabad, circa 1750
Opaque pigments with gold on paper, laid down on card
11 by 18 ¾ in (28 by 47.5 cm)

The central figure in this extensive painting of an army parade is a nawab riding on an elephant in a domed palanquin, who may be the Nawab Alivardi Khan (1671-1756). Behind him are rows of horseback infantry carrying swords and additional armor. Immediately behind and slightly to the right of the nawab’s elephant are four figures grasping tall spears. In the foreground, other attendants on foot hold swords and shields, and one of them bears a hookah – a status symbol of authority and wealth in India. The ruler and his elephant are the focal points, not simply due to their central position but also their large size; all other figures and animals are represented much smaller in scale.

Figures on horseback or on foot lead the parade. In front of the nawab are two figures transported in palanquins by groups of attendants, presumably family members; one is a male figure in a bright saffron jama, and the other one imagines hidden behind the pink canopy, evidently one of the nawab’s wives in purdah. Flanking these are two figures riding elephants wearing matching grey robes and turbans, giving the appearance of royal guards. The horizon line is high and edged in a row of trees, behind which an elephant leads infantry with triangular battle-standards embellished with a sword with bifurcated blade. They are followed by mounted musicians, a camel corps and finally two elephants bringing up the rear. The formal structure of the parade is animated by the sheer number of figures and the rhythm of the different groups and individuals, each with a coded outfit that reflects their role. While the nawab is the largest figure in the painting, all others are scaled differently, sometimes reflecting their status, for instance the palanquin-bearers are smaller than the figures leading horses at the front of the parade.

A comparison with surviving paintings of Nawab Alivardi Khan (r.1740-56) reveals a strong resemblance to the current image (Losty, 2013, p.83). The overall shape of the beard with an almost-square shape to the chin, the large almond eyes and neatly arched eyebrows, the long straight nose and the turban design all appear to confirm this. Most Murshidabad paintings under his patronage date from the later part of his reign, such as a painting of the nawab hunting, circa 1750, now in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (Losty, 2002, p.36, no.2; Losty & Roy, p.84). Only around 1750, after he had defeated the Marathas, did his realm become politically stable, and he established a thriving cultural centre in Murshidabad. A more detailed Murshidabad army procession, circa 1780, from the collection of Ann and Gordon Getty, was sold at Christie’s, New York, 24 October 2022, lot 1103. There is some visual connection with a series of genre scenes that depict daily life with multiple small figures engaged in different activities. Two of these paintings, circa 1760-70, are now in the British Library, London (Losty & Roy, pp.178-9, nos.119-120).

Provenance:
Monsieur B. de M., Belgium (1945-2021)

References:
Losty, J., “Towards a New Naturalism: Portraiture in Murshidabad and Avadh, 1750-80”, in Schmitz, B., ed., After the Great Mughal: Painting in Delhi and the Regional Courts in the 18th and 19th Centuries, Mumbai, 2002
Losty, J., “Mushidabad Painting 1750-1820”, in Das, N. & Llewellyn-Jones, R., eds., Murshidabad: Forgotten Capital of Bengal, Mumbai, 2013
Losty, J. and Roy, M., Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire, London, 2012

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

A flowering iris

Ascribed to Lotf-Ali (1802-75)
Qajar Persia, nineteenth century
Ink on paper, laid down in a cropped album page, with blue and pink margins ruled in black, green and gold
Painting: 4 3/8 by 2 ¾ in (11.4 by 7 cm)
Folio: 10 2/5 by 6 4/5 in (26.4 by 17.4 cm)

Lotf ‘Ali Khan was a prolific artist known for his paintings of birds and flowers, as well as his portraits. For two works of a rose and nightingale and a young man, signed Lotf-Ali Shirazi by this artist, see Fellinger and Guillaume, p.213, no.212 and p.219, no.218.

Inscriptions:
Mashq Lotf-Ali

Provenance:
Private collection, France

References:
Fellinger, G. and Guillaume, C., L’Empire des roses: chefs-d’oeuvre de l’art person du xixe siècle, Lens, 2018

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Equestrian portrait of Maharana Jawan Singh riding the stallion Ekling Bagas

Mewar, circa 1830-35
Opaque pigments with gold on paper, black and double white rules with red border
Painting: 13 by 8 7/8 in (32.5 by 22.6 cm)
Folio: 13 ¾ by 9 7/8 in (35.8 by 25 cm)

In this dramatic and action-packed scene set in what appears to be an evening landscape with crescent moon, the Maharana is poised in the saddle in mid-canter, his steel-tipped spear poised with his eyes fixed in total concentration on a distant target. Birds scatter over a darkening sky. The stout ruler wears the yellow distinctively Mewar forward-pointing turban, wrapped under the chin, a matching pathka, pearls and gem-set gold jewellery, red slippers and a white angarka over printed cotton paijamas. A cobalt gilt-rayed halo defines the intensity of his face. The sturdy royal stallion is appropriately caparisoned, two large chauris suspended from the saddle.

Jawan Singh (1821-38), only son of Maharana Bhim Singh, ruled as minor for the decade 1828-38, dying at the age of seventeen. He was a poet writing under the name of Brijraj.

Provenance:
Doris Wiener Gallery, before 2000 
Charles W. Banta, director of the Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, New York: Christie’s, New York, 23 March 2010 lot 199
Private collection, Paris, 2010-2023

Inscriptions:
The devanagari inscription in black ink reads:
Maharaja Dhiraja Maharana ji Shri Jawan Singh and names his stallion as Ekling Bagas

Exhibited:
Indian Miniature Painting, Albright-Knox Gallery, New York, 16 March-5 June 1994

We are grateful to Dr. Andrew Topsfield for his assistance in the cataloguing of this painting.

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Two noblemen visiting a gathering of yogis in a garden

Mughal India or Bikaner, circa 1700
Opaque pigments with gold on paper, laid down in a plain album page with blue and gold rules
Painting: 9 7/8 by 4 3/8 in (25.2 by 11 cm)
Folio: 14 3/8 by 9 3/8 in (36.5 by 23.8 cm)

In this striking painting holymen have gathered in a princely garden, it seems to await the visit of a grandee. None of the ten is apparently aware of the two nobles, who themselves are cowed in respect for the great men, who may be announcing the imminent arrival of a royal party. Although the upper two figures in saffron are in discussion, the others all appear, in different ways, to have their minds on a higher plane. [plain?]. Their sole worldly possessions are contained in white cotton kerchiefs and these apart their only accoutrements are those of the fakir: an animal horn and axe. Four of the figures are bearded, others wearing turbans or shaven-headed, some enveloped in heavily-pleated robes, others with bodies entirely covered in ash.

The Mughals revered both Hindu and Muslim holy men and “it is clear that they [both Akbar and Jahangir] viewed spiritual enlightenment (and the quest for it) as essential parts of effective rulership.” (Crill, p.163). In this article, Crill discusses the different types of yogi depicted in painting ranging from the 1590s to 1800. Also see Losty (2016) for Mughal and other paintings of ascetics and yogis. For other Mughal paintings depicting yogis see Diamond, pp. 184, nno.14d; 213, no.17h and 19 a&b.

Inscriptions:
On the verso: “32 Hazrat Shah”
Hazrat is a title used for both kings and for Sufis.

Provenance:
Sotheby’s, London, 13 December 1972, lot 92
Private collection, Greece, 1972-2023

References:
Crill, R., “Seven Yogis, a Dog and a Banyan Tree: the Long Journey of a Rajasthan Composition”, in Sharma, M. and Kaimal, P., eds., Indian Painting: Essays in Honour of B.N. Goswamy, Ahmedabad, 2013
Losty, J.P., Ascetics and Yogis in Indian painting, British Library blog, 2016: https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2016/08/ascetics-and-yogis-in-indian-painting.html
Diamond, D., ed., Yoga: The Art of Transformation, Washington D.C., 2013

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus incisa)

FOLIO FROM A COMPANY SCHOOL ALBUM OF BOTANICAL PAINTINGS
India, circa 1830
Watercolour on paper
17 by 22 in (43.2 by 56 cm)

This painting was from a series of fruit trees, others in the series were coconut, durian, plantain, clove and nutmeg (Martyn Gregory Gallery, pp.106-7). Breadfruit is not indigenous to the Indian subcontinent but was introduced to the Calcutta Botanic Garden in 1794, where artists working at the garden would have been able to view it. The majority of artists employed by the East India Company were Indian. However, patrons likely also had Chinese drawings in their collections.

This drawing bears some resemblance to drawings made in the Malay Peninsula, named the ‘Straits School’ by Noltie (pp.78-103, note 1). However, the Chinese connections need further research to ascertain the extent and scope of their involvement in botanic drawings for the British based in India.

Provenance:
Private collection, Kent
Worsfolds Auction Room, Canterbury, Kent
Christie’s, London, 15 July 2005, lot 247
Martyn Gregory Gallery, London
Jill and John Fairchild, Chalet Espérance, Gstaad, Switzerland,
2006-23

Exhibited:
Martyn Gregory Gallery, Catalogue 81, Hong Kong, 2005-6, p.106 (a)

References:
Noltie, H.J., ‘Indian Export Art? The botanical drawings’ in Dalrymple, W., (ed) et al., Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company, London, 2019, pp.78-103
Topsfield, A. ‘The natural history paintings of Shaikh Zain ud-Din Bhawani Das and Ram Das’ in Dalrymple, W., (ed) et al., Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company, London, 2019, pp.40-47

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

A group of fakirs in a graveyard

Possibly Murshidabad, late eighteenth century
Opaque pigments on paper, laid down in a blue album page with gilt floral border and black and white rules
Painting: 7 by 10 ¼ in (17.5 by 26 cm)
Folio: 11 3/8 by 14 ¾ in (28.8 by 37.4 cm)

The painting dates to the late eighteenth century in terms of watercolour style, with sketchy drawing, thin washes of color, and earrings in the ear lobes of the ear (Mallinson, pp.74-5). By the early nineteenth century, yogis began to wear them in the cartilage. Depictions of yogis in Mughal paintings are found in Akbar’s earliest illustrated copy of the Akbarnama (Stronge, pp.52-3) and also the Babarnama (Mallinson, p.71, figs. 2 & 3), both dating from the 1590s. An early example of yogis wearing an earring through the cartilage is in an illustration for the Tashrih alAqvam (Account of Castes) by James Skinner (1778-1841), a copy of which is now in the British Library (S. Sharma, p.36).

The painting’s place of production remains unclear, but Murshidabad, or a city in Eastern India, is a possibility. The large format of the page, the subdued watercolour palette and the subject fit with the series of paintings produced for the East India Company and for European individuals, such as the Fraser album (Dalrymple, 146, fig. 40). However, our painting appears more akin to the series of figure types prevalent in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Provenance:
Fernand Prévost, former Minister of France in Persia
Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 2 and 3 June 1932, lot 261
Private collection, Paris

References:
Dalrymple, W., et al., Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company, London, 2019
Mallinson, J., “Yogis in Mughal India,” in Yoga: The Art of Transformation, Washington D.C, 2013

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Portrait of Emperor Akbar Shah II (1760-1837)

Delhi, circa 1840-50
Opaque pigments with gold on paper, gold margin with black border ruled in white
Painting: 9 by 5 7/8 in (22.8 by 14.9 cm)
Folio: 10 ¾ by 5 7/8 in (27.5 x 19.5 cm)

A portrait of the penultimate Mughal Emperor, Akbar II (r. 1806-37), sitting on a terrace holding a rosary in his right hand and the velvet-sheathed snake of a huqqa pipe in his left. Although the painting lacks an inscription, the sitter can immediately be identified as Akbar II due to his countenance and attire.

Shah Alam II, Akbar II’s father, re-entered Delhi in 1772 after having been exiled for over a decade. He re-established the royal atelier, and painting thrived once more under his son. One of the key portraitists, Ghulam Ali Khan, worked as both a court and Company painter (Sharma, p.41-51). In 1827, he was commissioned to paint Akbar II on the occasion of the visit of Lord Amherst, Governor-General of Fort William. The resulting painting, now in the Royal Ontario Museum, shows the ruler sitting alone in a European-style chair, evoking elegant civility rather than imperial power (Sharma, p.45). Our painting derives from this more informal portrait of the ruler. The ruler looks opulent and imperial with his halo, crown, elaborate robes and jewellery, but it records a thoughtful private moment rather than a formal audience.

The terrace setting was a typical backdrop for royal portraiture throughout the eighteenth century. The expanse of cool, white tones recalls earlier portraits under Muhammad Shah (see entry no. 9). Both the low railing with its intricate jali design and the blue sky with white sketchy clouds along the upper edge of the picture resemble a portrait of a young prince by Khairullah, circa 1806-11, produced in Delhi and now in the San Diego Museum of Art (Dalrymple & Sharma, p.107). Akbar II continued the durbar traditions of Mughal Emperors, but relations with the East India Company were strained, and after 1818, his title was reduced to King of Delhi (Hannam, p.32). His successor, Bahadur Shah II (r. 1837-58), would be the last Mughal Emperor.

Provenance:
Private collection, England
Cotswold Auctions, Gloucestershire, 25 January 2022, lot 296
Shapero Rare Books, London, 2022
Private collection, France

References:
Dalrymple, W. and Sharma, Y., Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi, 1707-1857, New Haven and London, 2012
Hannam, E., Eastern Encounters: Four Centuries of Painting and Manuscripts from the Indian Subcontinent, London, 2018
Sharma, Y., ‘In the Company of the Mughal Court: Delhi Painter Ghulam Ali Khan’ in Dalrymple, W. & Sharma, Y., Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi, 1707-1857, New Haven and London, 2012.

Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd.

A nobleman in conversation with two courtiers

Guler, Punjab Hills, circa 1785-95
Opaque watercolour with gold on paper
6 1/8 by 4 1/4 in.; 15.6 by 10.8 cm. oval
7 5/8 by 5 5/8 in.; 19.3 by 14.2 cm. folio

The painting exudes the immediately recognisable style of the great Pahari painter Nainsukh (c.1710-78), not only in its design but, in particular, the facial characteristics of the three men depicted. The heavily-lidded eye, the style of facial hair and the distinctively shaped turban are all found in Guler court paintings of the 1750s, 60s and 70s, many of which have been attributed to the great master: see Goswamy, pp. 209, no.80 and 213, no.82.

The borders are familiar from those found on a well-known Sat Sai series dated 1780-90, which is ascribed to a ‘Master of the First Generation after Nainsukh’ by Goswamy and Fischer, p. 350, no. 150. One of the folios from this manuscript is inscribed to the painter Fattu, son of Manaku and nephew of Nainsukh.

The distinctive court style created by these painters continued to influence Pahari painters until the end of the eighteenth century, as illustrated in this painting. However, in the post-1800 period their influence waned as a different aesthetic developed.

Provenance:
Acquired in London in the early 1970s
Private collection, Greece, 1970s

References:
Goswamy, B.N., Nainsukh of Guler: a great Indian painter from a small hill-state, Zurich, 1997
Goswamy, B.N. and Fischer, E., Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India, Zurich, 1992