18TH-19TH C ANTIQUE MUGHAL (INDIA) MINIATURE ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT OPAQUE WATERCOLOR PAINTING

LATE 18TH-EARLY 19TH CENTURY ANTIQUE MUGHAL (INDIA) MINIATURE

ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT OPAQUE 

WATERCOLOR PAINTING, 

W/HAND PAINTED PAPER FRAME 

FEATURING FAUNA

(Circa 1785-1835)

Antique Mughal (India) illuminated 

manuscript paintings

DESCRIPTION:

Offered for your review and consideration is this incredibly beautiful and extraordinarily well realized and equally well preserved late 18th to early 19th century Mughal (India) illuminated opaque watercolor miniature manuscript painting on heavy paper, with a surrounding hand painted, decorated paper frame with depictions of flora and fauna. It's incredibly without any damage and the surface of the brightly colored painting itself, as well as the sepia and cream colored hand painted paper frame, remain without depreciating, noticeable damage from moisture or previous misuse. To suggest that this work is of museum-quality, would not be a stretch or an over-statement. When condition is tantamount and nearly means everything, this antique Mughal miniature illuminated opaque watercolor manuscript painting, is at the top of the charts. It must have remained hidden from view and from the debilitating and reductive effects of sunlight, since its pristine colors remain vivid, saturated and nearly as they did as when they were first applied. Not only is the figurative painting, of what appears to be royals being presented with either kneeling, captured slaves or perhaps military field scouts wearing textile head wraps, simply extraordinarily detailed and adeptly handled by the artist, who delivers his subject matter and figurative landscape with a mastery not often seen, but the painting, which is large for an early manuscript painting, remains in nearly entombed, locked-in-a-vacuum condition. It would be hard to imagine that the volume, that this single page was once removed from, was not itself once kept by Mughal royals or a high ranking spiritual leader or member of the Mughal royal court, since the work is so exquisitely conceived and which remains in still such exquisite condition. This is not a lazy, second-rate, second-class antique Mughal illuminated miniature manuscript work but a truly exceptional one and one that would be a welcome addition to an already established collection or the foundation for the beginnings of a new one. Phenomenal and then some. The single hair brush work is so accomplished and masterful, it's to be seen to be believed. The gold gilt slip paint, lending it its pedigree of not only being a Mughal miniature manuscript watercolor painting but an 'illuminated' Mughal manuscript painting, is also without distress, flaking, loss or interruption. This is a painting done by the gods, and in particular, from the ancient world of South Asia and of the early Mughal Empire, who's rulers once brought in Persian painters, famous for their own manuscript paintings, to create the body of work that's today referred to as the great ancient art that's come to be known as Mughal illuminated manuscript painting. For a work on paper, especially a watercolor painting to remain is this kind of condition after well over 200-250 years, is simply incredible and nearly unbelievable. Top shelf. It will do many things but disappoint, won't be one of them. Breathtaking. Divine.

DIMENSIONS:

Paper matting: 12" Height x 8" Width

Manuscript:  7 ½" Height  x 5 ¼" Width 

CONDITION:

Excellent, pristine, nearly immaculate overall antique condition. In simply amazing, extremely well-preserved condition, with little, if any color degradation of the opaque watercolors. The painting itself, as well as the hand painted heavy paper board frame are in terrific shape, with no tears, fraying of their edges, water damage or stains, abrasions or scuffs. This wonderful illuminated miniature Mughal (late 18th-early 19th century, India) opaque watercolor figurative painting is particularly ambitious and extremely accomplished. The painting not only features incredible detail but also tremendous color and pictorial design. If the painting itself wasn't enough to 'knock your socks off,' well then you may just want to check for a pulse. Magnificent. Museum-quality. There are miniature paintings and then there are miniature paintings. Extraordinary.

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LATE 18TH-EARLY 19TH CENTURY 

ANTIQUE MUGHAL (INDIA) ILLUMINATED 

MINIATURE FIGURATIVE MANUSCRIPT OPAQUE 

WATERCOLOR PAINTING OF ROYAL COURT, 

W/SEATED QUEEN, KING, FEMALE ATTENDANTS 

& MUSICIAN

(Circa 1795-1845)

Antique Mughal miniature manuscript painting

DESCRIPTION:

This very colorful and incredibly rich late 18th-early 19th century antique Mughal (India) illuminated miniature manuscript opaque watercolor figurative painting, is one of a pair of similarly matted paintings removed from presumably the same antique Mughal manuscript volume, containing this pair of watercolors and many others. This of course, is how we acquired the work, in untouched, absolutely 'as-found,' undisturbed original condition and out-of-frame. The framing system is actually a paper one, consisting of red dyed paper that's hand-lined and would've acted as a kind of matting for the watercolor painting. There's three bands of Islamic text in cursive script, horizontally formatted along the top margin of the pictorial field. The red matting paper is this time curiously hinged to the bottom of the watercolor painting along the bottom margin from the back, with what appears to be two blue labels of some sort. Everything was left 'as-is' and in the same condition it was found. Exceptional color and detail makes this antique late 18th to early 19th century Mughal illuminated miniature manuscript, figurative and architectural opaque watercolor painting an exceptional and memorable one. Extraordinarily beautiful. Simply gorgeous.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Tales of earthly and spiritual love were recounted and reinterpreted by Persian poets from the 11th century onwards. Stories of lovers such as Yusuf and Zulaykha, Khusrau and Shirin and Layla and Majnun were embraced not only in Iran but also in the neighboring Mughal and Ottoman empires. In courtly settings versified epics and lyrical couplets were copied into illustrated manuscripts for elite patrons in the eastern Islamic world, for whom poetry was a key component of cultural life from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Parallels and echoes of these timeless tales and the masterful words of poets such as Sa'di, 'Attar, Hafiz and Rumi intersect with European literature from the time of Dante and Shakespeare up to the present day.

DIMENSIONS:

Paper matting: 11" Height x 7 ½" Width

Manuscript: 7 ¼" Height x 4 ¼" Width 

CONDITION:

There are some pinhole-sized perforations on the surface of the paper. Three of these very small, tiny perforations are somewhat noticeable but the other three are even tinier pinholes that can only be noticeable when you examine and look at the surface of the painting while held up to light. The good thing is, all the figures especially their faces have no pinholes on them. Only the woman on the left side of the painting has a tiny pinhole in her leg. Aside from these very small and barely noticeable, small perforations in the paper's surface, the antique illuminated miniature manuscript opaque figurative watercolor painting is still in quite well preserved overall antique condition, with no water damage, unsightly and depreciating tears, creases or folds. One of a pair of original, authentic Mughal antique watercolor paintings from a single manuscript volume of miniature opaque watercolor paintings.

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LATE 18TH-EARLY 19TH CENTURY ANTIQUE MUGHAL (INDIA) ILLUMINATED 

MINIATUREFIGURATIVE MANUSCRIPT OPAQUE 

WATERCOLOR PAINTING OF ROYAL COURT,

WITH RECLINING QUEEN, KING, 

FEMALE ATTENDANTS 

& MUSICIAN

(Circa 1795-1845)

Antique Mughal miniature manuscript painting

DESCRIPTION:

This very colorful and incredibly rich, highly detailed late 18th-early 19th century antique Mughal (India) illuminated miniature manuscript opaque watercolor figurative painting, is one of a pair of similarly matted watercolor paintings removed from presumably the same antique Mughal bound manuscript volume, containing this pair of watercolors and many others. This is how we acquired this and the other works, in absolutely untouched, 'as-found,' undisturbed original condition and out-of-frame. The framing system is actually a paper one, consisting of red dyed paper that's hand-lined and would've acted as a kind of matting for the watercolor painting. There's 3 bands of Islamic text in cursive script, horizontally formatted along the top margin of the pictorial field. There's also handwritten Islamic text in cursive deep sepia brown toned ink, vertically formatted along the right margin of the pictorial field. The red matting paper is hinged to the top of the watercolor along the top margin from the back with what appears to be two blue labels of some sort. Everything was left 'as-is' and in the same condition it was found. Exceptional color and detail makes this antique late 18th to early 19th century Mughal illuminated miniature manuscript, figurative and architectural opaque watercolor painting an exceptional and memorable one. Extraordinarily beautiful. Simply gorgeous.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Tales of earthly and spiritual love were recounted and reinterpreted by Persian poets from the 11th century onwards. Stories of lovers such as Yusuf and Zulaykha, Khusrau and Shirin, and Layla and Majnun were embraced not only in Iran but also in the neighboring Mughal and Ottoman empires. In courtly settings versified epics and lyrical couplets were copied into illustrated manuscripts for elite patrons in the eastern Islamic world, for whom poetry was a key component of cultural life from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Parallels and echoes of these timeless tales and the masterful words of poets such as Sa'di, 'Attar, Hafiz and Rumi intersect with European literature from the time of Dante and Shakespeare up to the present day.

DIMENSIONS:

Paper matting: 11" Height x 7 ½" Width

Manuscript: 7 ¼" Height x 4 ¼" Width 

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LATE 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY VINTAGE SOUTH ASIA (INDIA) HANDPAINTED HUNTING SCENE, With

TIGER & HUNTER ON HORSEBACK & TWO HUNTERS, With LONG SPEARS ON SILK

(Circa 1895-1925)

Antique South Asian (India) painting on silk

DESCRIPTION:

Lovely, with no tears, rips, silk loss, edge loss, moth damage, foxing, tanning or other condition issues. This late 19th-early 20th century South Asian (India) figurative landscape painting is done on fine silk fabric. It's in the tradition of earlier 17th, 18th and 19th century Mughal Empire miniature illuminated manuscript opaque watercolor paintings on paper, that once populated handmade Mughal Empire texts and manuscript volumes. This is a larger format work on fabric rather than paper and it's nearly as exquisitely realized as its earlier cousins. A rider on horseback, perhaps and very likely a king or prince, wields a curved, long, unsheathed saber at a menacing, striped Bengal tiger, seeming to inflict a mortal wound and a deadly blow, as the tiger's head curls awkwardly backward. Two attendants on foot, wield long spears and appear ready to hurl them at the tiger in concert, in an attempt to assist the rider in bringing the tiger down. Great color & detail. Gorgeous.

CONDITION:

Very Good to Excellent overall vintage condition. It was not found  in a frame but covered and away from the debilitating effects of sunlight, inside a portfolio in the bottom drawer of the North Shore, Massachusetts' estate were it was discovered.

DIMENSIONS:

 20" Height x 14" Width

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