A courtesan at a balcony Mughal, 18th Century gouache and gold on paper, laid down on a large album page, nasta'liq inscription in red, numbered 25 in Arabic, album page borders decorated with floral motifs in gold; verso, Mullah Dopiaza mounted on an emaciated horse, Mughal, 18th Century, nasta'liq inscription at top, single line of Arabic (text not identified) in thuluth script excised from a manuscript above painting, blue floral inner border, outer border with floral motifs on a buff ground paintings 225 x 160 mm. and 208 x 150 mm.; album page 447 x 285 mm. Footnotes: Mullah Dopiaza was a character from a sequence of folk tales from Northern India which featured the Mughal emperor Akbar and his humorous courtier Birbal. He was portrayed as an entertaining and witty man, who was one of Akbar's chief advisors and a rival of Birbal. Although the stories about the Mullah date from the end of Akbar's reign (1556–1605), this character continued to appear at later dates and became well known by writers in the late 19th century. Most scholars believe him to be a completely fictional character, though some think he was an historical, 16th Century figure, whose original name was Abdul Momin. He is believed to have been buried in a tomb situated in Handia in Uttar Pradesh. For a similar depiction, see Christie's New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, 21st March 2008, lot 715 (where the dog is in the same pose). For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com