A Leaf From A Ragamala
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Gouache |
| Current Location: | Private Collection |
| Location History: | c. 1770- The miniature was produced in Oudh (Awadh) around 1770 by Fateh Chand. It belonged to a 36-leaf Ragamala series, of which Fateh Chand painted 19 leaves and Faqirullah painted the remaining 17. Original Ragamala series — later dispersed The complete series did not remain together. Christie’s records that the Ragamala series was dispersed through auction in the 1960s. This is the earliest documented movement of this particular leaf after its creation. Later private ownership / art market Following the dispersal, individual leaves entered different collections and the international art market. However, Christie’s does not publish a detailed provenance for this specific leaf, so we cannot reliably name its intervening owners or give a precise sequence of collections The leaf was subsequently offered by Christie’s as A Leaf from a Ragamala, attributed to Fateh Chand, Oudh, circa 1770. The catalogue records the painting as gouache and gold on paper and notes its signature, “The work of Fateh Chand.” Present location — unknown/private There is no publicly documented museum accession or current institutional location for this particular leaf. Its present whereabouts therefore appear to be a private collection or otherwise undocumented. It is important not to confuse this leaf with other Fateh Chand Ragamala paintings that have traceable institutional histories. Related leaves from the same broader artistic tradition are now in the British Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, LACMA and other collections. |
Fateh Chand was an accomplished painter associated with the late Mughal artistic milieu of Oudh in the eighteenth century. His work is marked by a refined sense of line, delicate modelling, and an ability to create intimate scenes with considerable atmospheric depth. Christie’s identifies this folio as a Ragamala leaf from Oudh, circa 1770, signed by the artist, and notes that Fateh Chand painted nineteen of the thirty-six leaves in the dispersed series. The painting presents a young prince seated upon a palace terrace at night, accompanied by a musician. What immediately attracts attention is the extraordinary economy of the composition. Against the expansive, almost monochromatic darkness, the two figures appear as a quiet island of human presence. The moon and layered clouds establish a contemplative nocturnal atmosphere, while the musician’s instrument introduces the unseen element of sound into the otherwise silent image. The prince’s relaxed posture suggests that this is not merely a courtly portrait, but a moment of private leisure and aesthetic contemplation. The architectural terrace is deliberately restrained, allowing the emotional relationship between listener and performer to dominate. Equally important is the lavish floral border, whose golden arabesques contrast with the austere night sky and transform the folio into an object of luxury. Fateh Chand’s treatment of nocturnal intimacy here recalls the broader Ragamala tradition, where music, mood, time, and human emotion become inseparable. The painting ultimately feels less like a formal court record and more like a meditation on solitude, music, and refined pleasure.
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