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OZIAS HUMPHRY, R.A. | Portrait of Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab Wazir of Oudh (1748-1797)
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Portrait of Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab Wazir of Oudh (1748-1797)
- Watercolour and bodycolour on ivory, turned black lacquered wood frame;signed and dated verso: Asoph Ul Dowlah / Nabob Vizier, 1786./ painted from Nature / at Lucknow by Oz. Humphry / No. 7
- 89 by 66 mm.
Provenance
William Upcutt Humphry (d. 1845), the artist's son;
his executor's sale, London, Sotheby's, 27 June 1846, lot 403;
Charles Hampden Turner, Dorking;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 4 December 1985, lot 213
his executor's sale, London, Sotheby's, 27 June 1846, lot 403;
Charles Hampden Turner, Dorking;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 4 December 1985, lot 213
Literature
Williamson, 1918, pp. 226, 260, 275, no. 403
Condition
The work is in good 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."
"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
Asaf-ud-daula succeeded his father Shuja-ud-daula as Nawab Wazir of Oudh in 1775. He moved the court from Faizabad to Lucknow, where he proceeded to build numerous monuments in and around the city.
A contemporary observed of him, 'He is mild in manners, generous to extravagance, affably polite and engaging in his conduct; but he has not great mental powers, though his heart is good'. His reputation for lavish expenditure, combined with a noted penchant for all things British, encouraged artists, including Johan Zoffany and Ozias Humphry, to visit Lucknow and seek their fortune. While both artists produced work that was rapturously received by the Nawab Wazir, neither artist received more than a small fraction in settlement of their accounts. This failure was no doubt the result of a combination of misgovernment and a complicated web of debt, involving the overly influential begums of Oudh and the scheming forces of the East India Company. The Nawab was bored with sitting for portraits and therefore arranged for Ozias Humphry and Charles Smith to paint him jointly on the 19th April 1786. The Nawab sat for the two artists for forty minutes 'without any apparent impatience'. They depicted him wearing a white muslin jama with a gold and brown stripped cummerbund and a scarlet turban, as shown in this miniature.
Another version of this composition was sold at Sotheby's, London, 16 April 2018, lot 48.
A contemporary observed of him, 'He is mild in manners, generous to extravagance, affably polite and engaging in his conduct; but he has not great mental powers, though his heart is good'. His reputation for lavish expenditure, combined with a noted penchant for all things British, encouraged artists, including Johan Zoffany and Ozias Humphry, to visit Lucknow and seek their fortune. While both artists produced work that was rapturously received by the Nawab Wazir, neither artist received more than a small fraction in settlement of their accounts. This failure was no doubt the result of a combination of misgovernment and a complicated web of debt, involving the overly influential begums of Oudh and the scheming forces of the East India Company. The Nawab was bored with sitting for portraits and therefore arranged for Ozias Humphry and Charles Smith to paint him jointly on the 19th April 1786. The Nawab sat for the two artists for forty minutes 'without any apparent impatience'. They depicted him wearing a white muslin jama with a gold and brown stripped cummerbund and a scarlet turban, as shown in this miniature.
Another version of this composition was sold at Sotheby's, London, 16 April 2018, lot 48.