Lot 31
  • 31

Ferdinand, Franz — Lala Deen Dayal [Photographer]

Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 USD
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Description

  • 'Visit of H.I. & H.R. the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Este to Hyderabad (Deccan), January 1893'. [Hyderabad]: Lala Deen Dayal, 1893
  • Paper, ink, leather
Oblong album (11 x 16 in.; 280 x 406mm). 33 albumen prints (4 11/16 x 7 15/16 in.; 119 x 202mm to 7 5/8 x 11 1/2 in.; 193 x 292mm) mounted on card, typed and manuscript captions to card; foxing to card, minor toning to a few images, first image with some minor scuffing and loss. Full green morocco, bevelled boards, upper cover ruled in blind and gilt and gilt lettered, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers; overall rubbed with some loss of morocco. 

Condition

Oblong album (11 x 16 in.; 280 x 406mm). 33 albumen prints (4 11/16 x 7 15/16 in.; 119 x 202mm to 7 5/8 x 11 1/2 in.; 193 x 292mm) mounted on card, typed and manuscript captions to card; foxing to card, minor toning to a few images, first image with some minor scuffing and loss. Full green morocco, bevelled boards, upper cover ruled in blind and gilt and gilt lettered, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers; overall rubbed with some loss of morocco.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

Catalogue Note

A rare and spectacular visual account of Franz Ferdinand's expedition through the Hyderabad State, IndiaFranz Ferdinand's life changed drastically 1889 when his cousin, Crown Prince Rudolf, committed suicide at his hunting lodge in Mayerling, leaving the young Ferdinand heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Despite the many responsibility this incurred, Ferdinand made time for travel, and demonstrated a great love for trophy hunting. He kept a tally of his successes in his diaries, and through these accounts it is estimated that he made 300,000 game kills. Roughly 100,000 trophies were exhibited at his Bohemian castle at Konopiště (which also boasted a shooting hall with moving targets). 

The present album wonderfully depicts the Archduke with the Nizam of Hyderabad, monarch of the Hyderabad State. One of the earliest images is that of an elephant procession starting from the Chowmahila Palace, with the Archduke and the Nizam riding regally atop the animal. Thus begins a fantastic melding of Indian and European customs, with subsequent images including Ferdinand reviewing a the marches of various military regiments, hunting cheetah at Saroonagar, "Malukpett sports" (or wresting on ponies), shooting rupees in midair, and the Imperial Shikar Camp at Tandur. There are also photographs capturing the exquisite architecture of the Bashir Bagh and Saroongar palaces, to include highlights of their lavish interiors.

Lala Deen Dayal became the court photographer to the Nizam of Hyderabad, and was also appointed as the photographer to the Viceroy of India (1885), and Queen Victoria (1887). The Nizam conferred the honorary title of Raja upon him, and shortly thereafter, Dayal created the firm Raja Deen Dayal & Sons. 

Famously, Ferdinand's assassination on the 28th of June 1914 brought about a sequence of events that sparked the start of World War I. The present album—compiled by one of the most prestigious Indian photographers of the 19th century—captures the young Archduke engaged in the activities he perhaps loved best.