A PAGE FROM A ROYAL ALBUM OF THE EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN, WITH CALLIGRAPHY SIGNED BY ALI AND BORDERS ATTRIBUTABLE TO "THE MASTER OF THE BORDERS", INDIA, MUGHAL, CIRCA 1640

ink, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, royal album page with six diagonal lines and two vertical lines of nasta'liq script in black ink on a gold ground minutely decorated with a coloured foliate motif, signed at lower left, the borders, decorated with a scrolling design of foliate motifs, birds and animals

Georges Demotte, Paris, 1909

Wright 2008, p.119, fig.58

Generally in fair condition. Text area and central illumination in good condition. Borders slightly discoloured with fraying and minor losses to edges. One split at upper centre with associated paper repair.
"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."

The Mughal Emperors of the seventeenth century were avid collectors of calligraphy from past eras, and Mir Ali of Herat was the most acclaimed Persian calligrapher of the 16th century, whose works were highly sought after.  These calligraphic pieces were often assembled into albums, combined with miniatures by the foremost masters of the day, and embellished with finely decorated borders. This approach was particularly popular at the Mughal court, where Shah Jahan (r.1628-58) commissioned several such albums from his court atelier. The present page is an excellent case in point. It originates from an album known as the Late Shah Jahan Album, an album full of masterpieces of painting and calligraphy. The album has most frequently been assigned to the period 1635-45, although recently Elaine Wright has published a very thorough account of royal Mughal albums in which she suggests that the assembly of the Late Shah Jahan Album took place in the last decade of Shah Jahan's reign, from around 1650 to 1658 (Wright 2008, p.107).

In albums such as the Late Shah Jahan Album, pages of calligraphy were always paired opposite each other, as were pages with figurative paintings. The pendant to the present page, which would have been opposite in the original album, is in the Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., formerly in the Vever Collection (see Wright 2008, fig.57, p.118). No doubt both were in the possession of Demotte in Paris in 1909, since Vever, a Parisian collector, was buying at this time.

Many of the borders in the late Shah Jahan Album can be attributed to an anonymous artist styled "The Master of the Borders", whose hand is discernible in the confidence and quality of the illustrations on this page; the individual petals, leaves and stems bordered in gold; the subtle colouring of the bird's plumage and the delicacy of characterisation of the nilgai and antelope; the strict geometry and rhythm of the scrolling vine, all suggests the work of a master.  Indeed, according to Cary Welch, such borders "rank among the highest and most sophisticated works of art created under the emperor's aegis."  (Welch and Welch 1982, no.73, pp.220-223).  It is astonishing that any artist could imbue illustrations on such a small scale with such naturalism and grace, whilst the birds movements and positions are conveyed with great technical precision and the faces and postures of the quadrupeds with subtle naturalism. This accords with the general interest in accurate observation of flora and fauna by Mughal emperors and their artists. Each of the Mughal emperors from Babur (1526-1530) onwards expressed an interest in the natural world, and their memoirs are full of allusions to the beauty of a bird or plant that caught their attention. It was Jahangir (1605-1627) who established the natural world as a subject worthy of painting, and in the present example we see how this interest was passed onto his son Shah Jahan. It is interesting to note the similarity between the niglai painted here and the dagger hilt in lot 106.

For illustrations and the most recent and substantial discussion of royal Mughal albums, including the Late Shah Jahan Album, see Wright 2008. See also Geneva 1985, fig. no.146, p.168; Welch and Welch 1982, no.73 p.220; Welch 1985, no.154, p.235.

The calligrapher Mir Ali was one of the master calligraphers of Iran in the first half of the 16th century. He studied under Zayn al-Din Mahmud and Sultan Ali al-Mashhadi. He was employed at Herat until 1528 when he was taken by the conquering Uzbek warlord Ubayd Khan to Bukhara, where he stayed until his death. The year of his death has not been firmly established, but different sources mention 1533, 1544 and 1558. He was highly esteemed in his own day and Qadi Ahmad tells us that he "carried off the ball of pre-eminence and superiority, for in laying down the foundations of nasta'liq he was the initiator of new rules and of a praiseworthy canon...." (Minorsky 1959, p.126).