A Satyr Tragopan, or Crimson Horned Pheasant, from the Lady Impey Series, signed by Shaykh Zayn al-Din, Company School, Calcutta, dated 1777

watercolour on European paper, inscribed at lower left "Pers. Murgh Munawwar Bright fowl, In the Collection of Lady Impey in Calcutta, Painted by Zayn al-Din Native of Patna 1777", numbered 32 of original series at upper left

Sir Elijah Impey (1732-1809) and Lady Impey (1749-1818).
His estate sale, Phillips, New Bond Street, London, 21 May 1810.

T. Falk and G. Hayter, Birds in an Indian Garden, exh. cat. Michael Goedhuis, Ltd., (Colnaghi Oriental) and Mallet & Son (Antiques) Ltd., London, 12 June - 14 July, 1984.

In generally good condition, colours bright, some minor cracquelure to white paint particularly on details of tail, some minor flaking to one of these white plummage to underside of body, with a vertical light crease line running down the centre with some minor associated discoloration, the background with few patches of discoloration, 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."

This large and splendid study of a Satyr Tragopan is from the great series of bird and animal illustrations painted for Sir Eljiah and Lady Impey between 1777 and 1783, the earliest and without doubt the finest of the natural history series made for the British in India.

Sir Elijah Impey was appointed the first Chief Justice of Bengal in 1774, taking his wife and household with him, along with a moonshee to teach him Persian. They settled in the house previously occupied by Henry Vansittart, the governor-general of Bengal from 1760 to 1764, which was surrounded by a large park. Sir Elijah collected manuscripts and miniatures (see lot 18 in this sale) and had his personal seal cut soon after his arrival (many of the natural history illustrations bear his seal impression on the reverse, although these are often obscured by later mounting). His wife Mary developed an interest in the flora and fauna of India, and set about collecting animals and birds in the large park attached to the house. From 1777 she employed Shaykh Zayn al-Din, an artist from Patna, to record the various animals and birds in a naturalistic manner. The key to their arresting immediacy is that they were drawn from life, an approach not followed in Europe at the time. By 1780 the project had grown and Lady Impey employed two further artists, Bhawani Das and Ram Das. In 1783 Sir Elijah was recalled to London, by which time over 326 illustrations had been completed. After Sir Elijah's death in 1809, the collection was sold by Phillips of New Bond Street.

Examples from the Impey series are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Radcliffe Science Library, Oxford, the David Collection, Copenhagen, the Yale Centre for British Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The Satyr Tragopan, or Crimson Horned Pheasant (Tragopan satyra) is a resident of the forests of the Himalayas, where they can grow to over 70cm in length. They inhabit an altitude range from 2,000 to approximately 4,500 metres. The Persian name given at the lower left of the painting is murgh munawwar, translated there as "Bright fowl", although "Splendid fowl" perhaps conveys more accurately the rich and exquisite colouring of the plumage.

The present illustration is one of the very few from the Impey series that features a landscape element, and a further rarity here is the evidence of pentimento around the claws.