Lot 12
  • 12

LAYLA AND MAJNUN, ATTRIBUTABLE TO GHULAM REZA, AWADH, LUCKNOW, CIRCA 1780

Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description

  • Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
  • 6 7/8 x 3 5/8 inches
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper

Exhibited

The Art of Mughal India,  Asia House Gallery, New York, 1964
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, 1969
Poignant, Picturesque and Berserk, Northern Indian Paintings and Objects of the 17th Through 19th Centuries. Harvard Art Museums, 1992

Literature

Welch 1963b, p.174, pl. 83

Condition

Generally fair to good condition. Some slight flaking. Very small patches of re-touching along lower edge. As viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

This is an important work attributable to the painter Ghulam Reza,  one of the leading artist at Lucknow in the 1770s and 1780s. He was responsible for fourteen illustrations in a large Ragamala series produced at Lucknow circa 1780-82 for Richard Johnson, who was employed by the East India Company as assistant to the Resident at Lucknow between 1780 and 1782. The series, part of the Johnson Album, is now in the British Library, India Office Collections (see Falk and Archer 1981, no.350, pp.170-173, pls.350i-350xxxvi).

The style of Ghulam Reza is quite distinctive - both his figures and his landscapes - and the present work can be particularly closely related to his illustrations of Bhairavi Ragini, Banglai Ragini, Saindhavi Ragini, Varari Ragini, Todi Ragini, Khambhavati Ragini and Megha Ragini in the Johnson Album (Falk and Archer 1981, pls.350iii,iv,v,vi,viii,ix,xxxi). The atmospheric and rather aethereal style of this work is perfectly suited to the mystical nature of the theme of the present work.

The scene depicted here is a variation on the theme of Layla and Majnun, the popular ancient Arab tale that was taken up by the great medieval Persian mystical poets and became very well-known and a frequently-illustrated text in Persia and India. In the story, Majnun (literally 'mad' , 'possessed' in Arabic), driven to distraction by his love for Layla, retreats to the wilderness, there to pine and fade, surrounded by friendly animals and beasts. Majnun is here depicted as an emaciated ascetic, a form that is appropriate for the mystical aspects of Majnun's symbolism. The haloed figure of Layla is depicted raising a sword in front of Majnun, but it is not clear whether she is raising it to threaten Majnun or to cut the chains that bind him. The scene also includes the figures of an old crone, a young maiden and a man. The exact episode depicted, and the role of these three figures, is not entirely clear. Within the part of the story of Layla and Majnun in which he is pining in the wilderness, he is visited at different stages by Layla herself (traditionally in a palm-grove), by his mother, who may be the old crone, and by his father, who may be the male figure dressed in white (although he appears too young). The episode in which Majnun is in chains occurs when he is brought to the tent of Layla by an old woman. The scene here seems to be an amalgam of different aspects of the tale of Layla and Majnun.

As well as the striking foreground scene, the painting has charming background details of a townscape among distant rolling hills, and three small monkeys silhouetted on the skyline.