Someone posted this painting Twitter. He saw it in a house in Somerset. The owners ancestor was a police officer in Lucknow in 1860.
I don’t havr thd provenance, probably the owner does, if at all. This is an old post, updated recently with my blog. I don’t even remember who posted it on Twitter.
What’s fascinating is that it is clear Mir Anees reciting a marsiya in what looks like the Safed Baradari in Qaiserbagh, which was originally Qasr -ul Buka or house of mourning.
The date given at the bottom also dates it to Nawab Wajid Ali Shah ‘s Era which is when the Safed Baradari was built.
After 1857-8 the area was destroyed by the British. The Safed Baradari is now used for marriages, receptions and exhibitions.
Another interesting fact is the colors worn by the mourners. Only Mir Anis is wearing black shawl.
There are many reds too