Large Illustrated and Illuminated Album Page: Luhrasp's Ascension to the Throne, Mughal, India, Circa 1780

gouache heightened with gold on paper laid down on stout paper, depicting a ruler enthroned surrounded by dancers and musicians, various border bands in colours and gold, margins in green with illuminated trellis bearing rosettes, later attribution to the artist Dalchand, verso with 4 lines of nasta'liq script in black ink in cloud bands reserved on illuminated scrolling foliage, borders in colours and gold, margin of ochre yellow

In good condition, minor surface wear and rubbing, some staining largely to verso, as viewed.
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During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, historical subjects enjoyed something of a renaissance, with many artists drawing inspiration from sixteenth and seventeenth century illustrated manuscripts. The scene depicted here, for instance, is probably taken from a historical work such as the Baburnama. 

Also typical of this period are the large album pages with decorative borders, as seen here. Other examples of late Mughal historical painting within large decorative borders includes the portraits of Shah Jahan, and a painting of an elephant hunt, circa 1770, from the 'Johnson Album', now in the India Office Library (Toby Falk and Mildred Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, London 1981, nos.210 and 213).