Prayer to the Virgin Mary in Indo-Persian illuminated margin - Lot 290

Prayer to the Virgin Mary in Indo-Persian illuminated margins Pigments, ink and gold on paper South Asia, probably Punjab, early 19th century Sight sheet: 25.3 x 17.4 cm This page with its richly illuminated margins features a central prayer to the Virgin Mary in Gothic letters. The lavishly decorated margins feature animals in medallions, alternating between gul o bulbul, or "rose and nightingale", a popular subject in Iran and India, and medallions depicting various animals between fine friezes of garlands of flowers and grapes. All the evidence suggests that the text was given to a South Asian artist to be illuminated for a European patron, either living locally or sent from Europe. This type of illustration is reminiscent of other Western commissions of the period, such as the set of fables by La Fontaine illustrated by Imam Baksh Lahori in the first half of the 19th century, at the request of Félix Feuillet de Conches. The style of the illumination and the cartouches with their animal decorations, while showing a strong Persian influence, does not appear to be by an Iranian hand. A number of French military officers were present at the court of Lahore, in the service of Ranjit Singh, such as general Claude-Auguste Court, Jean-François Allard and Jean-Baptiste Ventura, who were called to the court of the Sikh leader to modernize his army and strengthen his position following his military successes. For a study of this period and the painting commissions associated with the court of Lahore, see the exhibition catalog "Fables d'Orient, miniaturistes, artistes et aventuriers à la cour de Lahore", Musée National des arts asiatiques - Guimet, 2019.