Indo-Persian Miniature: Romantic Couple, Gold Border, Persian/Urdu Poetry, Blank Wasli Reverse, North India c. 1880?1910

Anonymous

Edité par [Anonymous workshop, North India or Deccan], North India (likely Rajasthan, Jaipur, or Delhi), 1890

Artistic Context & Overview A late 19th?early 20th-century North Indian miniature, painted in opaque watercolor, shell gold, and ink on handmade wasli. The scene shows a poetic Mughal couple seated on an open terrace at night, holding wine cups, with lush garden and moonlit lake beyond. Floral and architectural detail, pink and green costumes, and jewelry are rendered in high finish and bordered with Persian/Urdu poetic text above and below. Visual/Technical Description Opaque watercolor (gouache), ink, and shell gold on handmade wasli paper. Oval painting in rectangular frame; poetic calligraphy in black Nastaliq script, above and below. Superb color and gold preservation, minor top edge wear, no losses. Material/Manuscript Context Executed on thick, high-quality wasli paper, browned with age. Reverse is blank, likely prepared for this painting and script only; no visible writing, numbers, or dates. Condition (Summary) Front: Excellent, vibrant pigment and gold, crisp script, mild age toning. Back: Plain, uniform toning, no visible text. Provenance / Significance North India, c. 1880?1910 (likely Jaipur, Lucknow, or Delhi), private US collection, ex-India. Classic late hybrid Mughal-Rajput folio, with Sufi/Persian poetic context. Date Identification / Market Value Stylistic and manuscript evidence support c. 1880?1910. Auction value: $400?$1,000; retail: $1,200?$1,800 (premium for poetic panels and gold). Translation & Analysis: Calligraphy (Front, Line by Line) Top panel (above painting): 1. The explanation: nothing remains in the heart but love; the beloved, the cupbearer, the lord of beauty, the light of the gathering, the ruby wine, lips, youth, art, the company of lovers? 2. Here it was that I gave my heart, the moment of the soul?s meeting. Bottom panel (below painting): 1. With a delicate beauty, fairy-like, worshipped for a day, 2. I tied the sacred thread (girdle) of love at my waist, and thus began my night of happiness. 3. If you seek the water of eternity with heart and faith, you will not find it, for all union is but an illusion, a fleeting gathering. Reverse (Blank/Wasli) The reverse is blank, only age-toned; no visible text or numerals. Conclusion A top-quality Indo-Persian miniature, late 19th-century, with gold, Persian/Urdu poetry, and blank wasli reverse. Highly desirable for collectors and scholars of North Indian manuscript culture. N° de réf. du vendeur IPM 2025-09-24-61

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : Indo-Persian Miniature: Romantic Couple, ...
Éditeur : [Anonymous workshop, North India or Deccan], North India (likely Rajasthan, Jaipur, or Delhi)
Date d'édition : 1890
Reliure : Pas de couverture
Illustrateur : Unique handmade miniature painting on a repurposed manuscript folio
Etat : Bon
Etat de la jaquette : Pas de jaquette