A piebald stallion, Deccan, Ahmadnagar or Bijapur, circa 1560-80

gouache heightened with gold on paper, ruled in gold, reverse with remnants of half an album page

Prof. R.A. Dara, London (d.1966)
Acquired in 1965

"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 style of this elegant miniature of a piebald horse, with free-standing spear, ultimately derives from Persian and Central Asian painting of the late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth century (for a few of the many closely related examples in the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp see Welch 1972, pp.97, 111, 162-3, 178, for Central Asian examples see Grube and Sims in Gray 1979, pp.192-3, pls. LXIII-LXIV, p.205, fig.114). But it has been slightly transformed in an Indian, probably Deccani context, where the closest parallels are to be found in Ahmadnagar and Bijapur in the third quarter of the sixteenth century.

Specifically, the horse in an equestrian portrait of Sultan Husain Nizam Shah I of Ahmadnagar of circa 1555 shares some of the slightly awkward tension of the present example, as well as the specific pose, with front legs locked straight and back legs apparently moving (see Haidar and Sardar 1025, p.55, cat. 7), while a horse depicted in the Nujum al-Ulum manuscript made at Bijapur in 1570-71 is perhaps even closer to the present example (Chester Beatty Library, see Leach 1995, vol.II, p.895, no.9.200). The distinctive spear stuck point-up in the ground is also a Central Asian motif.