Ink and gouache on paper, laid down on an album page, the calligraphy with 4 lines of Persian text written in black Nasta'liq script within cloudbands against a ground of scrolling vines, wide outer borders decorated with polychrome floral sprays, the verso with a painting depicting a reclining lady with an attending maid, with corresponding floral decoration in the outer margins

In very good overall condition, a minor abrasion to the inner border of the verso, ink, gouache and gold bright and strong, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

inscriptions

Calligraphy signed: 'Muhammad 'Ali 1196' (1781-2 AD). He is recorded as a calligrapher of the Mughal court of Shah 'Alam II (r.1788-1806) and teacher of his son Kambakhsh. Two other works by him are recorded in the Archaeological Museum, Delhi, one of which bears the same date as the present leaf (see Mehdi Bayani, ahval va asar-e khosh-nevisan, vol.III, Teheran, 1348 sh., p.788). Polier may in fact have met the calligrapher himself during his own period of service at the court.

Antoine Louis Henri Polier was born in Lausanne in Switzerland in 1741 and began his career as a surveyor in the East India Company in 1758. By 1762 Polier had become Chief Engineer of the Bengal Army in Calcutta and Chief Architect for the kingdom of Oudh, working within the Court of Nawab Shuja ud-Daula. During his time in India, Polier collected a number of Persian and Sanskrit manuscripts and miniatures. In 1767 he was gifted three albums by the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh. Polier also commissioned works, establishing a small studio in Faizabad with Mihr Chand as the chief artist, and assembled numerous colourful albums of paintings and calligraphy. When he returned to Europe, Polier sold the albums to the English collector William Beckford, and in turn eleven of these eventually found their way to the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin.

The current lot possesses the distinctive broad floral borders associated with other Polier album pages. The French inscriptions only appear between 1767-68 and after then Polier began to annotate his albums in Hindi and Urdu. Please see the Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin for comparable album pages (illus. Hickman & Enderlein: Indische Albumblatte, Leipzig 1979, cat nos. 1,11, 21, 39, 43 and 51). A 🔴similar folio, although lacking calligraphy, was sold in these rooms 15 June, 2010, lot 5.