Bhils hunting black buck at night, a prince on horseback with his entourage nearby, Mughal, Oudh, late 18th century, with calligraphy dated 1168 AH/1754 AD

gouache heightened with gold on paper, cream, blue and pale pink borders with gold floral scrolls and speckling, blue and black rules, reverse with cartouches of nasta'liq, green and blue borders with gold, red and black rules

Ex-collection Árpád Szenes (d.1985), the Hungarian artist, since the mid-20th century in Paris. The painting was inherited by his wife, Marie Helene Vieira da Silva, a Portuguese-French painter. In 1987 she gifted the miniature to Maria do Rosário de Oliveira (neighbour to the present owner's grandmother).

Painted area in generally good condition, colours bright, paper slightly repaired middle right, slight staining. Borders with minor rubbing. Minor paint loss. Reverse with rubbing and paint loss to borders and painting.
"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."

The Bhils are a desert tribe from Rajasthan. They became a fascinating subject for the Mughals who often portrayed them in miniatures. Here a Bhil woman is depicted dressed in a skirt of leaves, ringing a bell and bearing a torch that lights the way for the archer's target. For comparison and further discussion see S. Gahlin, The Courts of India, Indian Miniatures from the Collection of the Fondation Custodia, Paris, Amsterdam 1991, pl.50, p.51. For an almost identical version from the late seventeenth century, perhaps the model for the present late eighteenth-century version, see sale in these rooms 23 October 1992, lot 500.