
Matthew Thomas
Senior Specialist
Sold for £1,912.50 inc. premium
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Senior Specialist
The gurmukhi title reads: vah vah gobind singh ape gur-chela, 'Wondrous, wondrous is Gobind Singh, he himself is the Guru and the disciple'.
The title refers to the famous event of 1699, when the Guru established the Khalsa order by first initiating five of his most loyal Sikhs who then initiated him.
Founded in 1878, the Chitrashala Steam Press had its first commercial success with a print of Rama and Sita, selling two thousand copies in a month. Their prints depicted famous figures from history (particularly that of the Marathas) and Hindu mythology (see C. Pinney, 'Photos of the Gods': The Printed Image and Political Struggle in India, 2004, p. 48). For other examples of prints from the press, see the sale in these rooms, Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 5th November 2014, lot 407.