Lot 88
THE HOLY FAMILY
INDIA, DELHI SCHOOL, 19TH CENTURY
Auction: 09 December 2026 from 14:00 GMT
Description
gouache and gold on paper, depicting a traditional nativity scene of the birth of Christ, Jesus is sat on the virgin Mary's lap with wise men and angels looking on, mounted, glazed and framed
Dimensions
sight seen 14.8cm x 10.5cm
Provenance
Formerly the Collection of the late Jean and Jacques Sieulle; Martel Maides Auctions, Winter 2025 Fine Art, Antiques and Jewellery, 21st November 2025, Lot 31.
Acquired from the above by the present owner.
Footnote
Christianity significantly influenced Mughal art in the early 17th century when Jesuit priests introduced Bibles and Christian engravings to the royal court, providing a new visual language that Mughal artists appropriated to project imperial power. Mughal painters integrated traditional Christian motifs into court miniatures to legitimise the ruler's divine right to govern. Specifically, the Christian depiction of holy figures with radiating halos and angels crowning Jesus was adapted to portray Emperor Jahangir and his ancestors as divinely ordained sovereigns. Furthermore, the Virgin Mary was recontextualised as a Mughal-Islamic figure, with her image subtly included in court scenes to watch over royal affairs and reinforce the spiritual authority of the empire.