Enrica Medugno
Sale Coordinator
Lot 145
A party of entertainers performing on the terrace of a nobleman's terrace, in celebration of the birth of Prince Benazir, an episode from the Urdu poem Sihr al-Bayan Oudh, Murshidabad, late 18th Century
14 November 2023, 11:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £2,304 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Islamic and Indian Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Matthew Thomas
Senior Specialist
A party of entertainers performing on the terrace of a nobleman's terrace, in celebration of the birth of Prince Benazir, an episode from the Urdu poem Sihr al-Bayan
Oudh, Murshidabad, late 18th Century
Oudh, Murshidabad, late 18th Century
gouache and gold on paper, laid down on an album page with gold-decorated inner border on a blue ground, gold-sprinkled brown outer border, identifying inscription in nasta'liq script in upper border
painting 170 x 238 mm.; album page 265 x 395 mm.
painting 170 x 238 mm.; album page 265 x 395 mm.
Footnotes
The inscription in the upper border reads: 'the image of Binazir and his father, at the time of his [Binazir's] birth and his naming'.
This unusual subject depicts an episode from Mir Hasan Dihlavi's Urdu poem, Sihr al-Bayan, 'The Enchantment of Story-telling' (1785). The author was born in Delhi but spent most of his life at the court of Oudh, and dedicated the 2,200-line poem to Nawab Asaf al-Dawla. It tells the story of Prince Benazir and his love for Princess Badr-i Munir, the kidnap of the Prince by the enamoured fairy Mahrukh and the eventual reuniting of the two lovers.
A complete manuscript of the poem, produced in Oudh in the early 19th Century, with 21 illustrations, was offered at Sotheby's, Arts of the Islamic World and India, 26th October 2022, lot 42. The first illustration (f.14v) depicted the birth of Prince Benazir in the palace zenana, who sits in the courtyard entertained by dancers.