AN INDIAN MINIATURE PAINTING OF A MUGHAL COURTIER
Mughal India, 17th-18th century. Ink, watercolors, and gold on wasli. The courtier standing in a palace terrace, wearing a white jama with gold hems and details, adorned with beaded and emerald-set jewelry, holding his cane in one hand and a flower in the other, the elaborate headdress crowned by a feather, the face with a fine expression. The lower margin with an old inscription.

Provenance: From the collection of Karl Stirner, and thence by descent. Karl Stirner (1923-2016) was a German-born American sculptor known internationally for his metalwork. His art has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery, the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, the James A. Michener Art Museum, the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, and the Delaware Art Museum, among other places.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear, soiling, water stains, possibly microscopic touchups.

Dimensions: Image size 20.5 x 13 cm, total size 33.5 x 23.5 cm (including frame). Framed behind glass.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related Mughal portrait of Baqir Khan, dated circa 1635, at Sotheby's London in The Khosrovani-Diba Collection on 19 October 2016, lot 6, sold for GBP 50,000. Compare also a related Mughal portrait of a nobleman, dated circa 1780, at Christie's New York in Indian and Southeast Asian Art on 17 September 2003, lot 128, sold for USD 5,975.