Original work

Illuminated manuscript page from the Anvar-i Suhayli

850 €

This extraordinary Indo-Persian miniature, belonging to the Mughal school (Awadh regional workshop), corresponds to an authentic loose folio, numbered as page 44 in the upper oriental numeral, belonging to a carefully illustrated manuscript of the Anvar-i Suhayli (The Lights of Canopus), the renowned Persian version of the moral fables and political strategy of Kalila wa Dimna compiled by Husayn Va'iz Kashifi. Executed with superb mastery in gouache, ink, and gold on handmade paper by a court naqqash or miniaturist, this work of painting displays the distinctive technical and stylistic refinement of the regional workshops of the Mughal Empire in Northern India (specifically from the Awadh regional workshop) dated circa 1760-1770. The meticulous composition narrates in two registers a palatial audience scene (Darbar) and courtly interaction with an equestrian entourage, complemented by the upper band which preserves original calligraphy in nasta'liq script alluding to the moral parables on good governance. The perfect integration of its natural mineral pigments, the refined micro-script on the turbans, and the noble organic patina of the support attest to the unmistakable historical authenticity and exceptional artistic quality of this valuable collector's piece of Islamic book art.

TechniqueWatercolor, tinta y oro sobre papel artesanal indio

Dimensions33x21cm

YearCirca 1760-1770

ArtistMOGOL, Escuela

I’m interested

MOGOL, Escuela

The Mughal school of painting was born in the 16th century under the impetus of Emperor Humayun, who after his exile in Persia returned to India accompanied by Persian master miniaturists such as Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al-Samad, laying the foundations of a revolutionary pictorial tradition that was masterfully consolidated under the reign of his son Akbar the Great, whose vast imperial workshop (kitabkhana) fused refined Persian lyrical-line aesthetics with the chromatic vitality, realism, and dynamism of indigenous Indian traditions and European Renaissance influences brought through the Jesuits, giving rise to monumental illustrated manuscripts such as the Hamzanama; this imperial golden age flourished even further during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan, periods in which painting evolved towards exquisite naturalism, unprecedented court psychological portraiture, scientific detail in the representation of flora and fauna, and lavish architectural splendor with palettes of pure inks and burnished gold, until at the end of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century, with the weakening of central power in Delhi, artists migrated to prosperous provincial centers and regional courts where key workshops were born such as that of Awadh (with its vibrant palette and courtly theatricality) and that of Murshidabad (characterized by atmospheric sobriety and geometric rigor), perpetuating the creation of manuscript folios as celebrated as those of the Anvar-i Suhayli, which today absolutely captivate international art collecting and achieve extraordinary prices in major global auction houses such as Sotheby's, Christie's, or Bonhams due to their legendary rarity, technical perfection, and profound historical-cultural value, with their reference collections preserved in the most prestigious museums on the planet such as the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, or the Musée Guimet in Paris.