AN ALBUM PAGE WITH FOUR PORTRAITS, INDIA, MUGHAL, 18TH CENTURY |

gouache with gold on paper, mounted on an album page with gold-decorated borders, reverse with 5 lines of nasta'liq calligraphy, signed by 'Abd al-Rahim

Ex-collection Joe and Hellen Darion, New York.
Acquired from the Olsen Foundation, Bridgeport, Conn.

Olsen Travelling Exhibition, Persian Miniature no.102 (label on reverse of frame)
On loan:
North Carolina Museum of Art, 1962 (loan number Olsen Persian Miniature TL.62.10.102, label on reverse of frame).

In good condition, the margins are overall clean with minor stains and traces of tape, minor stains and minor folds, minor retouching, minor flaking and losses to the paint which though remains bright, 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."

The upper right portrait depicts Shah Jahan. The nobleman at the upper left is identified in the inscription above as Shakr Khan Bahadur. His likeness appears in an early eighteenth-century work in the British Library (India Office Collections, Johnson Album 4, no.28, see Falk and Archer 1981, no.149, pp.106, 418). The lower right image of a lady under a tree holding garlands of flowers may relate to Ragamala iconography, perhaps Kakubha or Gauri Ragini.