AN INDIAN MINIATURE PAINTING OF A SADHU India, 19^th century. Watercolors on paper. The long-haired holy woman seated beside two dervishes engaged in conversation at a fire under a towering tree and the dark night sky, adorned with earrings and a necklace, holding a rosary in one hand.

Provenance: From an English private collection. The upper margin with an old inscription, ‘This is a gift from my friend Mrs. Heathcote who lived in this street’.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear, soiling, staining, foxing, and creasing, few minuscule losses, possibly microscopic touchups.

Dimensions: Image size 20 x 15.5 cm. Mounted and framed behind glass.

Sadhu is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively referred to as yogi, sannyasi or vairagi. Literally, it means one who practices a ″sadhana″ or keenly follows a path of spiritual discipline.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related Indian miniature painting of a sadhu and a mynah bird at Sotheby’s New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works Of Art on 15 March 2017, lot 315, sold for USD 12,500. Compare also another related Indian miniature painting of a princess visiting a sadhu in the same auction, lot 296, sold for USD 3,000.