Detail from a topographical map of a fortified hill top fort in Northern India. (Click on image to enlarge).
Two early 19th century Jodhpur rulers seated in conversation. (Click on image to enlarge)
Property from the collection of the leading Mughal scholar with strong Dublin links Dr. Linda York Leach (1942-2006) will come under the hammer at Bonhams Islamic and Indian sale in London on April 24.
The Rajput schools of Indian miniatures are well represented in her 30-piece collection. Highlights include an image of the splendid jamas in fiery orange worn by the two early nineteenth Jodhpur rulers seated in conversation (£3,000-4,000), a portrait of a late eighteenth century Mandi prince holding a falcon (£1,200 to £1,500) and an unusual eary 19th century topographical map from Northern India of a fortified hill top for (£8,000-12,000). Bronzes, ivories, and textiles from the collection will also be offered.
Interest and scholarship in Indian miniature painting has grown considerably over the last fifty years and Dr Leach was central to this renewed scholarship. An American, Dr. Leach catalogued the Mughal and Indian miniatures in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin.