Mughal miniature sold for Rs 119 cr at Christie’s auction

A miniature depicting a family of cheetahs relaxing on a patch of luxuriant grass in a rocky landscape, attributed to one of Akbar’s favourite artists, Basawan, has set the record for the most expensive classical Indian art at Christie’s London auction on October 28.

Sold for GBP 10,245,000 (approximately Rs 119.49 crore) at Christie’s auction of “Exceptional Paintings from The Personal Collection of Prince & Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan”, the painting, titled “A Family of Cheetahs in a Rocky Landscape” circa 1575-80, sold for 14 times over its estimate.

The “highly important work” in the history of early Mughal art sold close to MF Husain’s 1954 Untitled (Gram Yatra), which became the most expensive Indian painting after selling for $13.75 million at a Christie’s New York auction in March.

According to the lot essay, this study of a family of cheetahs is “one of the most outstanding and unforgettable early Mughal paintings”.

“Exquisitely observed and rendered with an evocative and highly expressive naturalism, it has been firmly attributed by many leading scholars to the great Akbar-period master Basawan, one of the emperor’s favourite artists,” it reads.

Among the many elements in the scene is a stream that tumbles to the lower left and a large tree with a twisted trunk growing animatedly at the upper left, providing the cheetahs with shade.