A courtier feeding a hawk, Mughal, circa 1600-10, with borders from a royal album made for Shah Jahan, Mughal, circa 1640-58

inscribed "Pad Shah Turkestan" in gold at top of picture area.

P & D Colnaghi and Co. Ltd. London, 1976.
Ex-collection Maurice and Edmond de Rothschild.

T. Falk, Persian and Mughal Art, P & D Colnaghi and Co. Ltd., London, 1976, pp.189, 212, no.110.
B.N. Goswamy and E. Fischer, Wonders of a Golden Age, Zurich 1987, no.73.

In good overall condition, colours strong and gold bright, inscription above figure very slightly rubbed at top edge, minor spotting and stains to borders and outer margins and few minor abrasions, particularly to album page 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."

This painting of an elegantly attired man holding and feeding a small dead bird to his hunting hawk is mounted in borders from the Late Shah Jahan Album. Falconry was a favourite pastime among rulers and courtiers in India and the subject of a courtier or prince holding a bird of prey was a perennially popular one in Mughal painting. The species of bird shown here seems closest to the Northern Goshawk, a winter visitor to northern India that was prized as a hunting bird, particularly adept at pursuing quarry at the low levels and in wooded areas (see Grimmet, Inskipp and Inskipp 1998, p.171, no.4, see also lot 8 in this sale).

The detailed depiction of the theme here is notable. The courtier is holding a small dead brown bird in his left hand, presumably the hawk's recent quarry, and the goshawk is busy eating it, with a fragment of the bird's flesh in it sharp beak, which is shown very slightly open in a naturalistic manner. It is interesting to note a very similar painting of a man holding a hawk in the Musée Guimet, Paris (see Okada 1989, no.49, pp.34, 174-5) dated by Okada to circa 1600. The latter is extremely close in composition and style to the present work, right down to the detail of the small dead bird in the man's left hand and in the rather wispy style of vegetation. Furthermore, the man has a very similar face in both works. In the Paris version he is identified as a prince, his turban sarpech supporting this. In the present work he has no obvious accoutrements that would identify him as a prince rather than a wealthy courtier, but it is possible that it depicts the same personage.

The exquisite borders originate from an album prepared for Shah Jahan known as the 'Late Shah Jahan Album'. This and other closely related albums have long been admired for their ravishingly fine borders decorated with flowers, birds, floral scrolls or trellises, animals and human figures. The most recent research suggests a date for the execution of the Late Shah Jahan Album of circa 1650-58, right at the end of the emperor's reign (Wright 2008, pp.107-139, 366-411).