A prince on horseback hunting rhinoceros, attributed to Nar Singh, Mughal, circa 1605

gouache heightened with gold on paper, mounted with gold-flecked orange borders, inscribed on verso in nasta’liq script 'The hunt of Akbar and Jahangir'

Colonel John Murray (in India from 1781)
Sotheby's, London, 15 June 1959, lot 117, an album, to Garabad for Kevorkian
Hagop Kevorkian, New York (1872-1962)
Hagop Kevorkian Fund
Sotheby's, London, 21 April 1980, lot 133

Bautze 1985, p.422, footnote 43.

In good overall condition, slight rubbing to album page outer margins, 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 fine and rather delicate miniature has been attributed by Professor Milo Beach to Nar Singh (personal communication, 22 May 1984), who was active in Akbar's atelier from circa 1585-90 to circa 1605. The small, neat figures and animals and the characteristic landscape in this miniature are typical of this accomplished artist’s sensitive and refined style. For further information on Nar Singh, see Beach 1981, pp.95-96; Leach 1995, vol.I, pp.287 & 291-2, no.2.152. For comparable miniatures ascribed or attributed to Nar Singh, see Losty 1986-I, pp.30-31, col.pl.IX; Seyller 2000-I, p.48, no.II, p.76, no.XVI; Smart and Walker 1985, p.19, no.3b.

Babur indicates that the rhinoceros was plentiful in certain areas he passed through on his march into India, and he mentions in particular the forests around Peshawar, Hashnagar and Bhera and along the banks of the Indus and Gogra rivers (Baburnama, transl. Thackston 1996 and 2002, pp.336-7). Abu’l-Fazl notes that the animals were found especially in the sarkar of Sambhal west of Delhi and northeast of Allahabad.

John Murray, the patron who assembled the album from which this page originates, probably in Lucknow in the 1780s, was a Scottish officer commissioned into the Bengal Army in 1781. He rose to the rank of captain in 1785 and was later appointed Military Auditor General with the rank of colonel. The album was first sold in these rooms on 15 June 1959, and a group was sold again in these rooms on 3 April 1978, with a further group on 21 April 1980, this page being lot 133.