#Takes5: Ursula Weekes

Introducing Ursula Weekes and the Takes5 chosen by her from the upcoming Antiquities, Islamic & Indian Arts auction that will take place on Friday 28 October. 

Ursula Weekes is an independent Art Historian specialising in the arts of Mughal India.

She read History at St John's College Cambridge and subsequently did her PhD at the Courtauld Institute of Art, on European Printmaking of the 15th Century published as Early Engravers and their Public in 2004 (Harvey Miller/Brepols).
She was formerly Supervisor of the Print Room at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, before moving to India, where she lived in Delhi from 2004-2010. During that time she held a Commonwealth Post-Doctoral Fellowship and taught at Jahawarhalal Nehru University on Mughal and Renaissance Art.
More recently back in London, Ursula has been an associate lecturer for seven years at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She now teaches part-time at Guildford High School and is a guide-lecturer for tours to India with Andante Travel.

Ursula is currently writing a book on Mughal Court Painting for Reaktion Books Ltd, which is nearing completion.

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"Lot 334 is the reference library of Jeremiah Losty. He is one of the great Indian art scholars of our generation. This is a lot with over 300 books from his own personal library so full of rich treasures"

"The second lot I have chosen is a painting form his own personal collection. Lot 339 shows two lovers; it is a painting from Malwa in central India dated to around 1680. It has these rich intense colours typical of Malwa painting. Not only is a beautiful work in itself but its provenance having come from Jeremaiah Losty's collection makes it particularly special."

"The next lot I have chosen is Lot 242 and this is an album page from the Shah Jahan period. It has beautiful floral decoration typical of the shah Jahani painting. Especially seen in albums like the Watage album and at the centre it has a little Safavid drawing of the early 17th century. The Mughal loved to collect artworks from other cultures in that way"

"The next lot I have chosen if Lot 423, a Ragamala painting that comes from Amber dated to about 1720. I love how you have this prince and two other men of the court are being entretained by these courtesans. I like how down in the lower register there's steps down to a little bedroom 'ready to go'. The painting shows how closely influenced the Jaipur Amber style of painting was by Mogul painting"

"The last lot I have chosen is Lot 445, which is a beautiful silk textile from Assam that shows Krishna playing his flute"

 You can find Ursula Weekes on @ursulaweekes

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