Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, Nizam of Hyderabad (reg. 1869-1911) standing in an interior Hyderabad, circa 1890-1900Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, Nizam of Hyderabad (reg. 1869-1911) standing in an interior Hyderabad, circa 1890-1900gouache and gold on ivory 138 x 92 mm.Mir Mahbub Ali Khan was not yet three when he nominally came to the throne, and a regent, Salar Jung I, ruled in his place until his official investiture at the age of sixteen in 1884. When the British established the order of precedence for Indian rulers in 1877, the Nizam of Hyderabad was placed in the first rank, and was afforded a 21-gun salute. Asaf Jah VI became famous for his extravagant lifestyle and collection of clothes and cars, as well as two enormous palaces, the Chowmahla and the Falaknuma. He was fluent in Urdu, Telugu and Persian languages, writing poetry in some of those languages, and was patron of the photographer Deen Dayal, who photographed the life of his court. He was a keen hunter, killing at least thirty tigers. See A. Jackson, A. Jaffer (edd.), Maharaja: the Splendour of India's Royal Courts, London 2009, pp. 190-191.The item within this lot containing ivory has been registered in accordance with the Ivory Act (Section 10), reference no.A91RW6HD.