
Ustad Allah Bux (Pakistan 1895-1978) Sohni
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Ustad Allah Bux (Pakistan 1895-1978)
Sohni
Sohni
Signed and dated 1935 lower right
57 x 88cm (22 7/16 x 34 5/8in).
Footnotes
Provenance:
Private US collection
Acquired directly from the artist
Thence by descent
This serene landscape depicts the tragic romance of Sohni Mahiwal. Sohni, the daughter of a pot maker in a Punjab village falls in love with a visiting Bukharan trader Izzat Baig. Her family, fearing scandal, marry Sohni, or 'beautiful one' to a local villager. Unhappily married, Sohni, yearns for her love. Every evening she uses an earthenware pot to cross the river to meet Izzat Baig, who had adopted the life of a fakir on the other side of the river. One day Sohni's sister-in-law follows her and on seeing the clandestine rendezvous, secretly replaces the pot with an unbaked pot. The next time Sohni uses the pot the vessel dissolves in the water as she tries to cross the water. Seeing her drowning Izzat Baig jumps into the water and also drowns. Ustad Allah Bux shows masterful skill in depicting a heart wrenching love story with such subtlety.