Lot 8
  • 8

A dervish of the Qalandari order with a pet sheep, by Mukund, Mughal, circa 1585-95

Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • A DERVISH OF THE QALANDARI ORDER WITH A PET SHEEP
  • Brush and ink, heightened with colour, on paper
  • 115 x 58 mm (233 x 149 mm, including borders)
nim qalam on paper, inscribed with a Persian couplet in nasta’liq script in a very fine hand on border above; and below: 'in raqm az Mukund naqqash ast' ['This drawing is by Mukund Naqqash' (the painter)], with an evaluation of '2' between the ascetic's horn and the ram, laid down on an album page ruled in colours and gold, 2 margins filled with gold scrolling vines and cartouches

Provenance

Prince Salim (1569-1627; ruled as Emperor Jahangir 1605-27)
Georges Joseph Demotte, Paris and New York (1877-1923)
Demotte Inc., New York
Mrs. Charles E. Slatkin, New York (1908-2000)
Acquired in 1973

Exhibited

Paintings from the Muslim Courts of India, British Museum, London, 1976
In the Image of Man, Hayward Gallery, London, 1982

Literature

London 1976, pp.59-60, no.79
London 1982-I, pp.170-1, no.267
Verma 1994, p.307, no.52
Leach 1995, vol.I, p.301 footnote 2, vol.II, p.1114, footnote 1 under Mukund
Seyller 2000, p.200
Seyller 2002, p.75, under no.16 and footnote 4.

Condition

In good overall condition, minor stains to outer margins, slight discolouration to drawing leaf edges, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

This is an exquisitely delicate drawing of a Sufi of the Qalandari order by Mukund. The drawing itself, dating to circa 1585-95, would no doubt have been made under the patronage of Emperor Akbar, who showed a keen interest in spiritual concerns throughout his life, hence his instructions to artists that they should record the appearance of the Hindu wandering ascetics, of which many depictions exist from this period. But the distinctive borders indicate that it was included in an important album known as the Salim Album assembled by Prince Salim (the future emperor Jahangir) during the years 1600-04, when he set up his own court at Allahabad. From the surviving pages it is clear that the album (almost certainly dispersed by the French dealer Demotte in the early twentieth century) contained a strong theme of religious figures - among the subjects of the portraits were Sufis, such as the present example, Muslim scholars and mullahs, Kanphata yogis, a Jain monk, Christian saints and the Madonna and Child, as well as more standard images of noblemen and courtiers. For a full discussion of the album and listing of the pages (which, however, does not include the present example), see Wright 2008, pp.55-67, 456-458; see also Leach 1995, vol.1, pp.300-307, where the present work is twice referred to. Wright has pointed out that the Salim Album is unusual for the frequent relation between the images and the panels of text (Wright 2008, p.61). In this case the lower panel of nasta'liq text is the signature by the artist Mukund (in raqm az Mukund naqqash ast). The upper panel contains a couplet, in the same hand as the lower one (i.e. possibly that of Mukund himself), that translates roughly as follows:

"Thousands of points can be much finer than a strand of hair
A shaven head does not signify knowledge of Qalandar spirituality".

The sense of the couplet, that becoming a Sufi of the Qalandar order is no easy thing, is clearly pertinent to the image, which depicts a devotee of that Sufi order.

Mukund was one of the few artists chosen by Abu'l Fazl for special mention in the A'in-i Akbari as having "attained fame" (translated by Blochmann 1873 (reprint 1989), vol.I, p.114). Among other manuscripts, he worked on the Jaipur Razmnama, the Jaipur Ramayana and the Victoria and Albert Museum Akbarnama. It is likely that he also worked on the Hamzanama. Leach writes of the present miniature: "The painter apparently thought well of himself since he justifiably signed a small drawing of a yogi as 'Mukund, the Master'. This drawing, his poetry pages and others indicate that Mukund was a sensitive painter interested in precision and minute detail rather than bold effects." (Leach 1995, vol.II, p.1114). Seyller, while discussing a similar miniature of a pilgrim (B.M. 1983 37-27 01) attributed to Mukund, refers to the present miniature: "Many of these features reappear in another, albeit lightly coloured, image of an ascetic with a pet sheep ascribed to Mukund, and support an attribution to this artist." (Seyller 2002, pp.74-75, no.16; see also Rogers 1993, p.31, fig.10).

For other drawings of the same period and subject (accompanied by dogs instead of a sheep) see Okada 1991, p.15, fig.15 (signed by Basawan); Welch and Masteller 2004, pp.88-89, no.21 (circa 1590, attributed to Basawan). For a discussion of seventeenth-century Mughal evaluation both monetary and aesthetic, see Seyller in Philadelphia 2001, p.15.