Rare Paintings
 27 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Akbar Watches a Battle between Mughal army and Sanyasis at Thaneshwar
By Basawan Asi
India, Mughal dynasty, possibly Pakistan, 1590–95
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Battle of Thanesar, (also known as the Battle of the Ascetics) was fought during the summer in the year 1567, near Thanesar ... Read More
 27 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Akbar Watches a Battle between Two Rival Groups of Sanyasis at Thaneshwar
By Basawan and Asi
India, Mughal dynasty, possibly Pakistan, 1590–95
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Battle of Thanesar, (also known as the Battle of the Ascetics) was fought during the summer in the year 1567, near Th... Read More
 27 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
A Party of Kanphat Yogis Resting around a Fire
By Mas’ud
India, Mughal dynasty, 1630-40

Tinted drawing with gold; on an album leaf with inner border of marbled paper and an outer border of leaf-motifs in blue and gold.

Credit: © The British Library Board, Johnson Album Read More
 27 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Babur’s 1519 Visit to Gurkhattri, from Vaki’at-i Baburi (The Memoirs of Babur)
By Kesu Khurd
India, Mughal dynasty, ca. 1590-93

Digital Rare Book:
The Babur-nama in English (Memoirs of Babur)
By Babur, Emperor of Hindustan (1483-1530)
Translated from the original Turki text of Zahiru'd-din Muh... Read More
 27 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
The Yogis at Gurkhattri, from Vaki’at-i Baburi (The Memoirs of Babur)
By Gobind
India, Mughal dynasty, ca. 1590

Digital Rare Book:
The Babur-nama in English (Memoirs of Babur)
By Babur, Emperor of Hindustan (1483-1530)
Translated from the original Turki text of Zahiru'd-din Muhammad Babur Padsh... Read More
 27 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Mughals visit an Encampment of "Sadhus," from the St. Petersburg Album

India, Mughal dynasty, ca. 1635.
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Credit: St. Petersburg Institute of Oriental Manuscripts Read More
 27 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Jālandharnāth at Jalore.
By Amardas Bhatti
India, Rajasthan, Marwar, Jodhpur, ca. 1805–10.
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Credit: Mehrangarh Museum Trust Read More
 26 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Woman Visiting a Pierced-ear (Kanphata) Yogi
Mughal, style of Payag - c. 1650)
India

Opaque watercolour on paper

Credit: National Gallery of Canada Read More
 26 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
A Nath Yogi with two white dogs
Folio from Salim Album
Mughal period
India

Credit: Harvard Art Museums Read More
 26 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Nath Yogi and a dog
Attributed to Basawan
Mughal period
India

Credit: Harvard Art Museums Read More
 26 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Guru Nanak with Guru Gorakhnath, Mardana and Bala and eleven yogis, Amritsar or Lahore, ca. 1875.

Sikh woodcut.

Guru Nanak sitting with Mardana (with rabab), Bala (with peacock feathers) and twelve yogis and two more yogis flying in the air. The picture illustrates the contest involving a lost... Read More
 12 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Elevation of the black stone arch, ca. 1820 - ca. 1822.

Company style painting.

The arch is covered with figures of Vaishnavite gods and hung with rings. A crowd of Hindus are celebrating the festival of the Dol Jatra or Swing festival in which the image of Vishnu and his consort are swung in a... Read More
 12 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
Holi festival, Musrshidabad or Calcutta, ca. 1795 - ca. 1805.

The Holi festival : men daubed with red powder proceed, dancing, singing and drumming towards a tank. In the centre, a man is being carried on a litter. Bystanders include ascetics and sweetmeat sellers. One of nine drawings depicting... Read More
 12 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
KRISHNA AND RADHA CELEBRATING HOLI
Opaque watercolour and gold on paper
Nurpur
c. 1775

Krishna is an incarnation of the god Vishnu. He is shown with Radha, the beloved of his youth, and other gopis or young cowherd women. Four cowherd boys complete the crowd. In celebration of the Holi sprin... Read More
 11 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
A Muslim wedding, Calcutta, ca. 1795 - ca. 1805.

A Muslim wedding; the bridegroom's procession going to the bride's house by night. A gateway at left and elephants at right of the procession.

Text and image credit:
Copyright: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London Read More
 9 Mar 2017 Rare Paintings
A seated portrait of the Sufi saint Sharaf BuʿAli Qalandar

Ink, opaque watercolour and gold on paper.
Mughal Style
18th century
India

Shaikh Sharafuddeen Bu Ali Qalandar Panipati also called Bu Ali Qalandar (1209-1324 CE probably born at Panipat, Haryana) in India was a Sufi saint of the Chish... Read More
 24 Feb 2017 Rare Paintings
Shiva protecting Markandeya from Yama, the god of Death.
Painting, 1810, India

One legend relates the story of how Shiva protected Markandeya from the clutches of death, personified as Yama.

Mrikandu rishi and his wife Marudmati worshipped Shiva and sought from him the boon of begetting a son. ... Read More
 24 Feb 2017 Rare Paintings
A lady prays in a Shiva shrine - 1770
Bhairavi Ragini
India

Ragamala Paintings are a series of illustrative paintings from medieval India based on Ragamala or the "Garland of Ragas", depicting various Indian musical modes called Ragas. They stand as a classical example of the amalgamation of art... Read More
 16 Jan 2017 Rare Paintings
Earth in the form of a cow appeals to Brahma
An illustration to the 'Large' Guler-Basohli Bhagavata Purana
Attributed to Fattu, circa 1760-65

Gouache and gold on paper, red border with narrow black margin and double white rules, cover paper with inscriptions comprising two lines of text from th... Read More
 14 Jan 2017 Rare Paintings
Colour lithograph, lettered, inscribed and numbered 4 depicting a scene from the Mahabharata. Bhisma is lying on a bed of arrows with Arjuna standing next to him with bow drawn and pointed at earth to bring out water for Bhisma, who is pierced by numerous arrows.

1895 (circa)
Printed in: Calcutt... Read More
 14 Jan 2017 Rare Paintings
Painting illustrating the death of Kṛṣṇa and the Pandavas visiting the dying Bhishma from the epic Razmnameh. Originally from manuscript Bhishma lies in the centre of the scene surrounded immediately by kneeling attendants, while warriors and horsemen stand in the near distance amidst a rocky lan... Read More