- 78
A nobleman on a terrace, style of Mihr Chand, India, Lucknow, circa 1780
Description
- gouache on paper
Provenance
Condition
"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."
Catalogue Note
Antoine Louis Henri Polier was born in Lausanne in Switzerland in 1741 and began his career as a surveyor in the East India Company in 1758. By 1762 Polier had become Chief Engineer of the Bengal Army in Calcutta and Chief Architect for the Kingdom of Oudh, working within the Court of Nawab Shuja al-Daula. During his time in India, Polier collected a number of Persian and Sanskrit manuscripts and miniatures. Polier commissioned works, establishing a studio in Faizabad with Mihr Chand as the chief artist, and assembled at least twelve albums of paintings and calligraphy. For further discussion of Polier and his albums see Roy in Markel and with Gude, India's Fabled City, The Art of Courtly Lucknow, Los Angeles, 2011, pp.176-181 (where further examples are illustrated); Harris, 'Archibald Swinton: a new source of albums of Indian miniatures in William Beckford’s collection',The Burlington Magazine, Vol. CXLIII, Number 1179, June 2001, pp.360-6; Hickman & Enderlein: Indische Albumblatte, Leipzig 1979, cat nos.1,11, 21, 39, 43 and 51). Other Polier leaves were sold in these rooms 6 October 2010, lots 80 and 81; 15 June, 2010, lot 5; 8 October 2014, lots 270-272. For a series of Polier Album portraits comparable to the present example see Weber, Portrats und Historisches Darstellungen in der Miniaturensammlung des Museums fur Indisches Kunst, Berlin, Berlin, 1982, pp.364-446.