AN ILLUSTRATION FROM A SERIES ON DIVINATION AND OMENS (FALNAMAH): THE FIGURE OF SATURN, INDIA, MUGHAL, CIRCA 1580 |

gouache on cloth, nasta'liq text above and below in two columns, marginal rulings in red

Minor stains affecting the textile which has been later consolidated, smudges and minor repainting, some areas of restoration affecting mainly the lower part of the leaf
"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."

From an interesting series of illustrations and interpretations of dreams and omens closely related to the Falnamah, several of which were exhibited and published by Colnaghi in 1979 (for discussion and illustrations see S. Digby in Colnaghi, Paintings from Mughal India, London, 1979, pp.15-17, nos.1-5,). The figure of Saturn appears in the Falnamah either individually or as part of a celestial sphere, accompanied by other planets and signs of the zodiac. Massumeh Farhad notes that the iconography of Saturn, the most negative of the seven planets in the Falnamah, ultimately derives from Indian visual sources (see M. Farhad with S. Bagci, Falnama, The Book of Omens, Washington D.C., 2009, p.177), as clearly seen here in this Mughal Indian example, with the multi-armed figure holding a variety of symbols familiar from Indian imagery. For a closely related figure of Saturn in a Safavid copy of the Falnamah, see ibid., p.251, fig.9.4.

Other illustrations from this series have appeared at Sotheby's London, 22 April 2015, lot 143; 8 October 2014, lot 204; Colnaghi, Paintings from Mughal India, 1979, nos.1-4; Sotheby's London, 17 June 1999, lot 3; 26 April 1995, lot 137; and Christie's London, 24 April 1980, lot 49. For an essay and further examples see Falk and Digby 1979, pp.13-19.