Sotheby’s is honoured to be offering a wonderful collection of over fifty Indian miniature paintings from the remarkable collection of Eva and Konrad Seitz. Accumulated over half a century, the collection of Eva and Konrad Seitz is one of the most important private collections of Indian painting in Europe.

The late Dr. Konrad Seitz’s love for Indian miniatures was first initiated
when he went to Delhi as a young diplomat in 1968 and continued when he was the German Ambassador to India from 1987-1990. Konrad and Eva Seitz began collecting and researching Indian paintings, recognising the aesthetic quality in everything they acquired. They amassed an astonishing collection that encompassed all the Indian schools of painting. They were one of the first collectors outside of India to recognise the importance of the Pahari school, assembling one of the largest collections of ‘first generation after Nainsukh’ Guler paintings.

Over the years Eva and Konrad Seitz shared and published their collection, offering the public a valuable insight into the tradition of Indian painting. They became important patrons of the Museum Rietberg in Zurich, generously donating over three hundred Indian paintings of exceptional quality. After Dr. Seitz retired, he continued his groundbreaking research into the ‘Malwa’ school of painting, recategorising the school as Bundelkhand that resulted in the publication Orchha, Datia, Panna Miniaturen von den Rajputischen Hofen Bundelkhands 1580-1850. #

This sale is a testament to the legacy of the Eva and Konrad Seitz Collection. The paintings in the sale includ examples from the Mughal, Deccani, Rajput courts and date from the late sixteenth through to the nineteenth century, many of which are published and were previously exhibited at the Museum Rietberg. Highlights include paintings by the imperial Mughal atelier, representations of the court of Sansar Chand and illustrations inspired by the sacred texts and poetry of the subcontinent.