Lot 106
TWO DESIGNS FOR FURNITURE
INDIA, BENARES, CIRCA 1880
Auction: 10 June 2026 from 14:00 BST
Description
watercolour on paper, one illustrating a luxuriously animal-stylised palanquin, bearing a nagari inscription to the left, the other depicting a blue armchair with gilt details, with two tigers sitting on it
Dimensions
15.9cm x 30.2cm; 31.4cm x 40.2cm
Footnote
These two watercolours are from a series of designs for elaborate furniture, interior ornaments and palanquins, each with a strong mixture of Victorian influence incorporated into the Indian and European styles. Grand pieces of furniture with such elaborate designs were ordered by Indian rulers for their palaces in the second half of the nineteenth century, often from the firm Madhu Prasad and Beni Prasad in the Roti Kunwan district, close to Benares as established by J.P. Losty following the examination of a similar watercolour in the James Ivory Collection, bearing watermarks and inscriptions relating to the Prasad furniture makers. Refer to lot 132, formerly from the collection of Stuart Cary Welch, for further examples of furniture and vessel designs from the same series. For further discussion and comparisons see: S.C. Welch, Room for Wonder, Indian Painting during the British Period, 1760-1880, New York, 1978, pp. 150-151, no. 67; R.W. Skelton, The Indian Court Life and Arts under Mughal rule, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1982, p. 69, no. 188; J. Guy and D. Swallow, (eds.), Arts of India: 1550-1900, London, 1990, p. 182, no. 157; A.Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London and Salem, 2001, p. 227, fig. 100; A. Jackson and A. Jaffer, Maharaja. The Splendour of India's Royal Courts, London, 2009, p. 227, and; J.P.Losty, Indian Paintings from the James Ivory Collection, Francesca Galloway Exhibition Catalogue, London, 2010, no. 68, pp. 154-155.