Priya Singh
Head of Department
Lot 49
Maqbool Fida Husain(1915-2011)Untitled (Horse)
10 December 2024, 15:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£15,000 - £20,000
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Louise Almeras
Cataloguer
Maqbool Fida Husain (1915-2011)
Untitled (Horse)
signed 'Husain 83' lower left and verso
water colour on paper
26.3 x 39cm (10 3/8 x 15 3/8in).
signed 'Husain 83' lower left and verso
water colour on paper
26.3 x 39cm (10 3/8 x 15 3/8in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Property from a private collection, Dubai.
Acquired from the artist.
Animal symbolism, particularly the image of the horse, emerged as a significant motif throughout Husain's work, stemming from an interest he nurtured from an early age. Husain recalled "As a young artist, I was observing and drawing horses in their perfect form and likeness using coal or pieces of chalk on the walls of his school and in his notebooks." (R. Siddiqui, M.F. Husain: In Conversation with Husain Paintings, Books Today, New Delhi, 2001, p. 110).
As such, the horse became a recurring and powerful motif in Husain's work, resonating deeply throughout his canvases. His fascination with the animal evolved into a defining leitmotif of his celebrated artistic career. A timeless symbol in Indian art history, the horse appears across various artistic forms, ranging from early miniatures to contemporary works. In Indian mythology it often represents the sun, power, knowledge, and fertility.
During his 1953 trip to Europe, Husain was strongly influence by Blaue Reiter artist Franz Marc and Marino Marini's neo-classical equestrian sculptures. However, as Bartholomew and Kapur note, "Husain's own use of the horse motif has been, however, even more intuitive and complex" (R. Bartholomew and S. Kapur, Husain, Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publishers, New York, 1971, p. 39). In this present lot, Husain portrays the horses as powerful, untamed and noble creatures.