Christie's Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection of Indian Painting and Calligraphy Auction Totals $7.15m
3 min read · 28 Apr 2026
A COURTIER HOLDING A BOOK by Ascribed to Manohar, Mughal India sold for $773,800. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Ascribed to Manohar, Mughal India was the headline sale at Christie's 'The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection of Indian Painting and Calligraphy' auction on April 28 in London.
- The sale totaled $7.15m (GBP5.28m), exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 84 works sold totaling $7.15m.
- Estimates totaled: $1.95m (low) and $2.88m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.
The star lot was: Ascribed to Manohar, Mughal India, A COURTIER HOLDING A BOOK (1608), which sold for $773,800, 629% above its $106,100 low estimate. It has been traded 4 times in the past.
![AN ILLUMINATED CALLIGRAPHIC PANEL by Mahmud [IBN Ishaq] Al-Shahabi sold for $41,300 (1974% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's](https://resources.heni.com/cb7906a9-6542-4e36-954c-456cbc19398f.jpg?width=1024)
AN ILLUMINATED CALLIGRAPHIC PANEL by Mahmud [IBN Ishaq] Al-Shahabi sold for $41,300 (1974% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 1974% above its low estimate. Mahmud [IBN Ishaq] Al-Shahabi, AN ILLUMINATED CALLIGRAPHIC PANEL (Undated), sold for $41,300 ($1,990 low estimate). It has not been traded before.
- 61 works, or 73%, sold above their high estimate.
- 11 works, or 13%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 12 works, or 14%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
0 works were bought-in.
Withdrawn before the sale
0 works were withdrawn
Terms and definitions
All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Estimates, sale prices and totals are converted into US dollars. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.
Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.
Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.
Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.
Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.
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