A courtesan at her toilette seated on a terrace Murshidabad, late 18th Century
186
A courtesan at her toilette seated on a terrace
Murshidabad, circa 1760
gouache and gold on paper, buff and blue borders with floral motifs in gold
270 x 190 mm.
Estimate:
£2,000 - 3,000
€2,400 - 3,500
US$ 3,000 - 4,500

Footnotes

  • Nawab Mushid Quli Khan, from whom the town of Murshidabad acquired its name, moved his centre of administration from Dacca to Bengal in 1704. But it was not until the reign of the able Ali Vardi Khan (1740-1756) that painting at Murshidabad, now a prosperous and influential city, began to flourish, a trend which was to continue until the 1770s. Beautiful courtesans with thick eyelashes and darkened eyelids depicted on palace terraces along the Ganges were popular subjects.

    For comparison see T. Falk and M. Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, London 1981, nos. 368, i-viii.

Category: Islamic and Oriental Art / Islamic and Indian Art

Auction terms and conditions

Contacts

Oliver White Bonhams
Work
101 New Bond Street
London, W1S 1SR
United Kingdom
Work +44 20 7468 8303
FaxFax: +44 20 7468 8283
Auction Administration - Islamic and Indian Art