Lot 35
Tanjore School
Album of miniature paintings showing Indian castes, trades & costume
Auction: The Library of General Sir James Alexander | Wed 25 February from 10am | Lots 31 to 62
Description
southern India, c.1820. Folio, contemporary tan half calf, marbled sides, decorative gilt black morocco label to front board (lettered ‘Hindoostanee, Persian, Turkish, Burman Drawings collected by J. E. Alexader [sic]'), containing 30 Tanjore School miniature paintings in gouache and watercolour on laid paper (all approx. 21.5 x 15.5cm), corner-mounted to rectos or versos of pink wove paper leaves (32.5 x 19.8cm, watermarked ‘MacGoun 1822’), manuscript captions in black ink to mounts (probably by Alexander), reading: Musselman & Dancing Girl; Bungaree hara; Trichinopoly Rachewar; Mahratta Brahmin, writing; Pucklallee or water carrier; Komar or Potter; a Koomtee Shraff - Moneychanger; a Rajapoot; a Brahmin, Sivite; a Sapara with Snakes; Pondicherry Beriwar with a Deo or Idol; a Pundarum from [?]Ramesin, begging; Beriwan Musician & Dancing Girl; Madras Kait (writer); Poligan; a Wuzeer or Minister; Poligan; Domur - Tumblers; a Rajapoot solider making love to a Dancing Girl; [?]chimjawur Brahmin; Shah Mudaree Fakeer, beggar; Lubba Musselmans; Bengalee irregular sepoy; a Rachewar Vishnavite with dancing cow; Musselman Musician & Dancing Girl; a Garovee or Snake charmer; a [?]chimjawan Brahmin & Brahminee; a Musselman of rank; a Brahmin, Vishnavite; a Juggernaut [?]goosein & servant begging.
Bound with: 5 Qajar School miniatures (gouache, approx. 19 x 14cm, pasted onto leaf of coloured card, slit-mounted, manuscript captions to foot of coloured card mounts, comprising: Persian - a Dandy; Persian Lady; Armenian Priest of Ispahan; Persian female; Persian Lady in the Harem); 7 large Ottoman School miniatures (watercolours each approx. 28 x 18cm, slit-mounted, manuscript captions to foot, comprising: Turkish Tartar or Messenger, Town Dress; Barber of the Grand Seignior; Turkish Dancing Boy; Turkish Sofalee, Grand Seignior Footman; Frank woman of Pera, Constantinople; Greek Merchant; Turkish Lady, walking dress); and 11 smaller Ottoman School miniatures, approx. 18.5 x 13.5cm, tipped in, manuscript captions to versos: Jew; Artillery man; Combaragee - Bombardier; Deaf and dumb attendant, Dirchi; Infantry soldier - red Regt; Topehees - Gunners; Topehee - Drummer; Bim Bashi - Colonel; Tambourgee - Drummer; Galeongee - Sailor; Drummer of Bombardiers)
Provenance
THE LIBRARY OF GENERAL SIR JAMES EDWARD ALEXANDER (1803-1885)
Footnote
Alexander travelled to India as a cadet in the Madras army in 1820. He was appointed adjutant to the bodyguard of Sir Thomas Munro, governor of Madras, and saw active service in the First Anglo-Burma before travelling to Persia as aide-de-camp to the British envoy Colonel Kinneir, witnessing the Russo-Persian War of 1826-8; he then travelled to the Balkans during the Russo-Turkish War of 1829. He is likely to have collected these miniatures over the course of these three consecutive postings, described in his first book, Travels from India to England (1827), with their arrangement in the album corresponding to the order of their acquisition.