A prince visiting an ascetic, India, Mughal, early 17th century

Warren Hastings, Governor-General of India (1774-85)

Messrs. Farebrother Clark and Lye, 22 August 1853, lot 879

Sir Thomas Phillipps Bt.

Phillip and Lionel Robinson

Sotheby’s, London, 1968, lot 386

Maggs. Bros. Ltd. London

inscriptions

javani-ye shah jahan

 'The youth of Shah Jahan'

The Hindu ascetic is depicted cross-legged outside the entrance to his cave with a book, rosary and conch laid out before him; a second ascetic stands behind with a grey dog playing at his feet. The prince kneels down to make an offering to a seated ascetic, attendants stand in waiting, with the prince's elephant and mahout watching on, surrounded by rocky outcrops, trees and flying birds, with steps leading up to a domed hermitage and a seated sage.

A prince or ruler visiting a holy man was a popular genre in Mughal painting and first appeared during Akbar's reign as a reflection of the Emperor's interest and tolerance of other faiths. Other Mughal paintings of ascetics from the early seventeenth century are found in the Richard Johnson album in the British Library (Falk and Archer 1981 nos.25-27, 45, 46, 145) and a drawing by Daswant from circa 1600 from the Royal Library (Hannam 2018, no.4).

This illustration is mounted on a gold sprinkled album page from the Warren Hastings album which was assembled in the late eighteenth century. Warren Hastings was the first British Governor-General of India and during his stay in the subcontinent, he collected a large number of paintings and calligraphies which he brought back to England in 1785. Warren Hastings’ library at Daylesford House, Oxfordshire, was sold after his death by Messrs. Farebrother Clark and Lye in 1853. Leaves from this album then entered the collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps which was sold at Sotheby’s on 27 November 1968.