Lot 87
A FINE CALLIGRAHIC COMPOSITION
INDIA, RAMPUR, SIGNED MOHAMMAD 'ALI DOLHA KHOSH, DATED AH 1261/ AD 1844
Auction: 09 December 2026 from 14:00 GMT
Description
written in elegant black nasta‘līq and arranged diagonally within cloud-like reserves, these float against a densely painted ground of flowering arabesques, scrolling vines, and delicate blossoms executed in polychrome gouache with gold highlights, signed and dated in the lower left corner, with the place of execution as ‘Rampur’
Dimensions
28.6cm x 18.5cm
Provenance
Private UK collection.
Footnote
Mohammad ‘Alī Dolha Khosh worked at the court of the Nawabs of Rampur. The Nawabs were among the most cultivated princely patrons of the period, and their celebrated library - the Rampur Raza Library - remains one of the finest repositories of Islamic calligraphy and Persian manuscripts in the subcontinent. Founded in the late 18th century and continually enriched by successive rulers, it embodies the refined literary and artistic culture of the Rampur court. Comparable examples of Rampur court calligraphy are preserved in the Raza Library’s extensive holdings (documented in the library’s Catalogue of the Calligraphy/ Fihrist-i Khattati, 2015) and appear periodically on the market. This panel is a characteristic product of that tradition: fluid nasta‘līq, Sufi verse, and sumptuous floral illumination of the highest princely standard.