ARTS OF INDIA

The following eight paintings were acquired by a private collector in London from Colnaghi, 14 Old Bond Street, London between 1978 and 1980. They are
excellent examples of the main traditions of Indian painting: Mughal, Pahari and Rajput. Christie’s is delighted to ofer this small yet captivating selection, which is
an illustration of the sharp eye of an inquisitive collector.
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KRISHNA AND RADHA
KISHANGARH, NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1760
Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the gods sit together on a
terrace, amorously holding each other’s hands, richly dressed and bejewelled,
their heads within green nimbus, blue-skinned Krishna wearing a pink turban,
a female attendant walks in from a pavilion to the left, a lake in the background,
laid down on blue card with broad borders decorated with gilt foliage, the
reverse with Maharaja seal impression, mounted, framed and glazed
The painting 6Ω x 4æin. (16.5 x 12.2cm.) ; page 13¡ x 10 (34 x 25.5cm.)
£7,000-10,000 $10,000-14,000
€8,800-12,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Colnaghi, London, 20 July 1979
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AN ILLUSTRATION FROM A RAGAMALA SERIES: DIPAK RAGA
ATTRIBUTED TO FAQIRULLAH, PROVINCIAL MUGHAL SCHOOL,
NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1750-60
Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the scene lit by four candles,
a crescent moon in the starry sky above, the princess sits amidst gold bolsters
and cushions, female companions standing with her, the scene set within a
garden, a marble pavilion behind them, the reverse with four lines of black
devanagari script, mounted, framed and glazed
Painting 6 √ x 4 ¿in.(17.6 x 10.5cm.); page 7 ¬ x 4 æin.(19.4 x 12.3cm.)
£6,000-8,000 $8,600-11,000
€7,500-10,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Colnaghi, London, 5 June 1979
EXHIBITED:
Paintings from Mughal India, London, 1979, cat. 27
LITERATURE:
Toby Falk and Simon Digby, Paintings from Mughal India, Colnaghi, exhibition
catalogue, London, 1979, cat. 27, pp.58-59.
Faqirullah is known for his work on another ragamala series (E. Binney,
Indian Miniature Painting from the Collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd: The
Mughal and Deccani Schools with some related Sultanate material, Portland,
1973, no. 84). His full name was Muhammad Faqirullah Khan, the name
he uses on a slightly earlier work on the Johnson album in the British
Library (album, 17, no. 3). His style was at that time purely Mughal whereas
the present picture relates to the style developped in Awadh. Faqirullah
probably moved to that region after the 1750s.
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