A BOUQUET OF YELLOW MARIGOLDS
Deccan, Central India, late 17th - early 18th century

A BOUQUET OF YELLOW MARIGOLDS
Deccan, Central India, late 17th - early 18th century

Opaque pigments and gold on thin wove paper, the vertical-format composition reminiscent of 17th and 18th-century Mughal floral album pages, painted with a rich bouquet of yellow marigold flowers in the centre flanked by two pairs of green and pink birds at the top and bottom, set against a solid gold ground, within red and black rules, and an illuminated border with rosette sprays against a light blue ground, the reverse plain, mounted on white cardboard, the folio 21.8cm x 13.7cm, 49.8cm x 34.7cm including the mount.

Mughal art is often associated with beautiful, lush flowers, often coming in a variety of vibrant colours and more or less botanically accurate forms. Flowers permeated the entire artistic Mughal vocabulary, from the arts of the book to textiles and architecture. Floral studies on paper, however, only started becoming desirable during Emperor Jahangir's reign (r. 1605 - 1627), who after a visit to Kashmir in 1620 became incredibly fond of this subject. The second quarter of the 17th century saw an unprecedented interest and production of floral studies, of which some of the best exemplars were drawn by renowned artists like Mansur and Muhammad Khan, one of the main contributors to the Dara Shikoh album, dated circa 1635. Some of these flower motifs were imaginary and inspired by European prints, but others, like the poppy, marigold, and narcissus, all autochthonous species, showed a higher degree of realism. For further reference and comparison, please see several other Deccani floral studies against gold ground similar to the present lot successfully sold at auctions like Christie's London (South Kensington), The Saeed Motamed Collection - Part 1, 22 April 2013, lot 279; then Christie’s New York, 19 June 2019, lots 52 and 53; and earlier this year, Christie's London, 27 April 2023, lot 81, previously purchased at Dorotheum Auctions, Vienna, 2 December 2015, lot 9.

(Quantity:1)

Dimensions: the folio 21.8cm x 13.7cm, 49.8cm x 34.7cm including the mount