Guru Nanak at Mecca, by Bhai Ram Singh Punjab, late 19th Century

Guru Nanak at Mecca, by Bhai Ram Singh Punjab, late 19th Century pen and ink on paper, verso sketches of a man's head and a minaret or tower 255 x 340 mm. Footnotes: Provenance Private UK collection: acquired as part of the artist's archive, directly from his descendants. The scene, and others from the life of Guru Nanak, appears in illustrated Janamsakhi manuscripts , though it was often painted as a scene in itself. Guru Nanak travelled throughout India and elsewhere for 24 years, spreading his message. In one of the scenes the Guru is depicted at Mecca (in the course of a journey through the Middle East made between 1517-22) being rebuked by an imam for lying with his feet facing the Qa'ba. The Guru replied 'In which direction does God not live?' Alternatively, he asked to be moved so that he faced the place where there was no God; at each attempt he found that he was still facing the Qa'ba; thus the story illustrates how God is everywhere. For another depiction of the scene, see the sale in these rooms, Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art , 2nd October 2012, lot 206; and Christie's, Islamic and Indian Manuscripts and Works on Paper , 23rd April 2012, lot 319. Bhai Ram Singh Ramgarhia was a Sikh carpenter and architect in Amritsar who worked with Lockwood Kipling in Lahore. He later became Principal of the Mayo School of Art, and amongst his works were the Lahore Museum, Khalsa College, Amritsar and the Saragarhi Memorial Gurdwara. He had travelled to London with Kipling where he worked with him to design the Durbar Room at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, the summer house of Queen Victoria. He lived in London for some time and was invited by British nobility to design and make mouldings for various panels at their country houses. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com