PROVINCIAL MUGHAL, INDIA, EARLY 19TH CENTURY

This painting shows the Queen of Sheba, or Bilqis, enthroned with all manner of animals, jinns, peris, and attendants surround her. Absent from the painting is Solomon, who held authority over all humans and animals, of the temporal and spiritual worlds (Dorothea Duda, ‘Die Königin von Saba in der islamischen Miniaturmaleri’, in Werner Daum (ed.), Die Königin von Saba, Stüttgart, 1988. P.148).
Imagery of the Queen of Sheba, or Bilqis, and King Solomon became popular in the Deccan in the 17th century, taking inspiration from Iranian depictions. However, the faces, peris, and hats worn here suggest a provincial Mughal origin, comparable to a painting of Solomon flying through the air from late 18th century Murshidabad (Leach, Mughal and other Indian paintings from the Chester Beatty library, vol.II, pp.706-7, 6.371).
A similar painting of Bilqis, with King Solomon, was sold in these rooms 28 October 2021, lot 67.