Abdur Rahman Chughtai (Pakistani, 1897-1975) Poet of the East and Chughtai

Abdur Rahman Chughtai (Pakistani, 1897-1975) Poet of the East and Chughtai by Iqbal, M. & Chughtai, A.R., Nisar Art Press, Lahore, 1962 Folio, original boards and illustrated dust jacket, plastic wrap, illustrated endpapers. 476 pp, with 36 tipped-in colour plates, 25 black and white plates. Copy Number 112 from a limited edition of 275 copies. 14 x 111⁄4 x 2 in. (35.6 x 28.6 x 5.1 cm.) Folio, original boards and illustrated dust jacket, plastic wrap, illustrated endpapers. 476 pp, with 36 tipped-in colour plates, 25 black and white plates. From a limited edition of 275 copies. 14 x 111⁄4 x 2 in. (35.6 x 28.6 x 5.1 cm.) 35.5 x 28.1cm x 11 1/16in). Footnotes: Provenance Property from a private collection, Pakistan. Acquired in 1996. 'When Chughtai was only 29, he brought out a superbly illustrated edition of the Divan of the famous Urdu poet, Ghalib, and named it Muraqqa-i-Chughtai. Iqbal contributed a Foreword to that publication and described it as 'a unique enterprise in modern Indian painting and printing.' Now that the Artist and his art have both reached maturity, he has conjured up the practical idealism of Iqbal by the magic of his brush, in what bids fair to be his magnum opus.' (Justice S, A R Rahman in Poet of the East and Chughtai, Nisar Art Press, Lahore, 1962, p. 1) One of only 275 copies, this folio marries the beautiful words of Allama Iqbal, with the stunning works of Chugtai's paintings and drawings. Sir Muhammad Iqbal was a South Asian Muslim writer, scholar, politician, and philosopher whose poetry in the Urdu language is amongst the greatest of the 20th century. Born and raised in Sialkot, Punjab, Iqbal completed his B.A and M.A at the Government College, Lahore. He taught Arabic at the Oriental College, Lahore from 1899-1903, and wrote the famous poems, Parinde ki faryad and Tarana-e-hind. He was awarded a knighthood, Rumuz-e-Bekhude and the Bang-e-Dara after writing Asrar-e-Khudi, one of his most well-known poetic works. Abdur Rehman Chughtai was a painter who excelled in creating a unique visual language that combined the best of miniature painting, Mughal art, Islamic art, and Art Nourveau. Considered to be the first significant modern Muslim artist from Pakistan, he is the national artist of Pakistan. In a career that spanned 6 decades, he produced nearly 2000 watercolours, thousands of pencil sketches and nearly 300 etchings and acquaints. He published the Muraqqa-i-Chughtai, a sumptuous illustration of Mirza Ghalib's poetry, that had a foreword by Sir Muhammad Iqbal. Often regarded as the most significant work of Chugtai's career, it was considered at the time to be the finest achievement in book production in the country. Poet of the East attempts to eclipse its predecessor and is packed with elegant and charming illustrations to accompany Allama Iqbal's words. There are resplendent 'Mughal Princesses,' 'Persian Dolls' and 'Still Life's' that bewitch the reader and elevate the poems they illustrate to greater heights. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing