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Francesca Galloway Ltd

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Francesca Galloway Ltd

Francesca Galloway, a world renowned leading specialist dealer in Indian painting and courtly objects, and Islamic and European textiles.

19/05/2026

Pahari Painting Trifecta at the beginning of May, around the Benkaim collection.

A very ambitious and successful tour of Cleveland, Cincinnati and Washington DC. Here are a few of my many highlights!

Starting with a detail of Jahangir preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings by Bichitr from the St. Petersburg album (full image at the end).

Cleveland Museum of Art
-Goddess standing on a mountaintop, c. 1720, (ex Benkaim collection inv. 2018.98)
-Detail of Rishyashringa addesses the courtesans, from the ‘Shangri’ Ramayana, c. 1700, (inv. 2002.6)
-Detail of Rama tells his mother Kaushalya that he has been exiled to the forest, from the ‘Shangri’ Ramayana, c. 1700; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (ex. Heeramaneck collection, inv. 68.8.90)
-Ravana abducts Sita; she drops her jewellery, from the ‘Shangri’ Ramayana, c. 1700; Tia collection
-Brocaded velvet cover with sunbursts, Ottoman, c. 1600, (inv. 2008.146)

Cincinnati Art Museum
-Catherine Benkaim in front of A tuberose plant, c. 1730; photographed at Cincinnati Art Museum
-Detail of Raja Shamsher Sen of Mandi on his wedding day, c. 1740 (inv. 1983.14)
-Detail of Fishermen unable to hold the giant fish, Imperial Mughal by Manohar Das, 1595-1600, (inv. 1950.284)

National Museum of Asian Art, Washington DC
-Detail of Portrait of Raja Jagat Singh of Nurpur (r. 1618-46), by Bichitr; (ex Benkaim collection inv. 2013.324 on loan from The Cleveland Museum of Art)
-Detail of Arrival of the groom at the palace, from a Bhagavata Purana, attributed to the early Mandi Master, c. 1640-50, (inv. F2017.13.1)
-The Goddess worshipped by the sage Chyavana from a Ta***ic Devi series, c. 1660-70, (inv. F1997.8)
-Detail of a Chola bronze of Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi as the Goddess Uma, 10th century, (inv. F1929.84)
-Jahangir preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings, from the St. Petersburg Album, Imperial Mughal, by Bichitr, c. 1615-1618, margins Persian, 1747-48, (inv. F1942.15a) + detail

16/04/2026

Food is not just for eating when it comes to Schiaparelli!

Another passion of ours is early 20th century fashion. Go and see the Schiaparelli show at the V&A.

SCHIAPARELLI - Fashion becomes Art on until the 8th November

25/02/2026

A selection of Pahari painting and other works of art are now on our website and on view in London by appointment, link in bio.

The Pahari Rajas commissioned the most passionate, enigmatic, and at times some of the greatest Indian paintings.
This year the , and are working together to research, publish and display works from the Pahari Kingdoms from the Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Ralph Benkaim Collection. We are excited about these shows and can’t wait to see them.

1 Detail Goddess Kali
Mandi, c. 1750
Opaque pigments on paper
25 x 16.7 cm

2 Detail Large textile depicting a scene from the Ramayana
Coromandel Coast for the Indonesian market, late 18th century
Cotton, hand-drawn and mordant-dyed
100 x 480 cm

3 Detail Two unhappy Women - Folio from a Ragamala series
Arki, Baghal, c.1700
Gouache on paper
Folio 21.3 x 18.4 cm; painting 19.5 x 16.7 cm

US exhibitions of Pahari paintings:

Cincinnati Art Museum
Longing: Painting from the Pahari Kingdoms of the Northwest Himalayas
6 February – 7 June 2026

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Epic of the Northwest Himalayas: Pahari Paintings from the ‘Shangri’ Ramayana
19 April – 16 August 2026
Pahari Paintings: Art and Stories
18 January – 13 September 2026

National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.
Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms
18 April – 26 July 2026

18/02/2026

Woven from colourful silk, this large patterned and striped textile is a revival of historical silk mantles called lamba akotifahana and was produced by a group of master weavers in Antananarivo, Madagascar. For the last 30 years these weavers have been at the forefront of a resurgence in the craft of classical Malagasy silk weaving. A fire in 1995 at the Queen’s palace in Antananarivo destroyed the most significant historical collection of these textiles. However, the artist weavers from Lamba SARL Studio drew inspiration from rare surviving examples and incorporated many of the techniques and patterns used in the grandest 19th century textiles. Originally these pieces were worn by the elites of the Imerina Kingdom (c. 1540–1897), whose royals also gave them as diplomatic gifts.

Although the design suggests it is a single woven fabric, the textile is in fact assembled from seven handwoven lengths.

Other textiles from this workshop are in various museum collections, such as the Cleveland Museum of Art (inv. 2021.167), National Museum of African Art (inv. 2001-2-1), The British Museum (inv. Af1993,14.1), The ROM, Toronto (inv. 2021.26.1), and The Art Institute of Chicago (inv. 1998.84). The MET’s newly opened Michael C. Rockefeller Wing has their lamba (inv 1999.102) on display.

Image 1 Detail of Lamba Akotifahana (Silk Mantle)
Madagascar, 2006–2007
Silk
236 × 193 cm

Image 2 Full image

Image 3 Lamba mpanjaka marevaka (king’s bright mantle) in the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

07/02/2026

My friend Pip Rau’s Central Asian textiles and objects are being sold at Olympia’s online auction (ends 1st March).
Pip was one of the most stylish and intrepid people I have ever met. She was my best friend.
I first got to know her when we travelled together with her two sons to Russia and Central Asia in the 1980s for a book she was preparing on her textile collection. It was a life-changing adventure for me.
Her love of Uzbek textiles, costumes and the friends she made in this field permeated every aspect of her life.
The auction offers a wide selection for the home, the collector, and the enthusiast! Check Olympia’s catalogue out and if you can, go and view the textiles and objects in person. I am sure you will find some treasures.

Francesca

The Pip Rau Collection of Ikats, Embroideries and Costumes

3rd Feb to 1st March
Olympia Auctions

Images:

1 Pip Rau published in Elle Decoration April 1995 (Lot 128 in background)

2 Lot 11 A BOY’S IKAT CHAPAN, BOKHARA, UZBEKISTAN, LAST QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

3 Detail of Lot 95 and 96 A GROUP OF PORCELAIN TEAPOTS, RUSSIA FOR THE CENTRAL ASIAN MARKET, 20TH CENTURY

4 Detail of Lot 111 AN IKAT PANEL, BOKHARA, UZBEKISTAN, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

5 Detail of Lot 57 A ZOROASTRIAN (PARSI) WEDDING SHAWL, PERSIA, POSSIBLY YAZD, MID 19TH CENTURY

6 Pip Rau’s home in London showing Lot 1

7 Detail of Lot 128 A SHAKHRISYABZ NICHE SUZANI, UZBEKISTAN, MID 19TH CENTURY OR EARLIER

8 Detail of Lot 152 A LARGE IKAT PANEL, UZBEKISTAN, MID 19TH CENTURY

27/11/2025

We have just received ‘A Dubious Place’ by Eberhard Fischer. This remarkable 145-page monograph focuses on an intriguing late-18th century Pahari painting that was once part of the Ludwig Habighorst collection, and is now at the Museum Rietberg. In this work, Fischer skilfully analyses the painting and identifies Nikka, the third son of Nainsukh, as its artist. Fischer has the ability to guide the viewer through the various stages of how to look at, investigate and analyse a painting. This fascinating study is an essential addition to any enthusiast’s or collector’s library.
Eberhard Fischer transformed the Museum Rietberg’s collection of Indian painting and the study of this subject during his 27 years as Director.

This publication is available to purchase from shop.

Eberhard Fischer
A Dubious Place
Artibus Asiae Publishers
Hardcover, 139 pages
Size 31 x 24.5 cm
ISBN 978-3-907077-75-7

15/10/2025

We hope to see you this week at Frieze Masters in Regent’s Park London (15-19 October).

Our stand is G5.

Video Peter Riches

11/09/2025

Our latest publication, ‘RARE Indian Art for Court and Trade’, presents paintings, works of art and textiles from South Asia. It is now available online — see the link to the pdf in our bio. The catalogue is currently being printed and will be available from October. We would like to thank the various scholars who collaborated with us on this publication, especially John Seyller, who researched and wrote about many of our paintings.

We shall exhibit some of the works on our stand (G5) at Frieze Masters from 15 to 19 October. We hope to see you there.

12/07/2025

Congratulations to Hali on their new edition Textiles and Dress. They have harnessed Christine Ramphal magic as guest editor where she has featured exciting essays on costume! We’ve highlighted just a few here, including the Worth exhibition in Paris. We hope you all enjoy this edition as much as we did.

04/06/2025

How sound, text and image are combined in a painting is the subject of Richard David Williams’ essay on Ragamala painting. He discussed this fascinating topic by taking a closer look at a group of Ragamala paintings from the north Deccan, 1630-50. Click on our link in bio to read his full essay.
At the same time, check out our section of updated works of art.

Details of:
Gambhira putra, fourth ‘son’ of Sri Raga - From a dispersed Ragamala series
North Deccan, 1630-50
Opaque pigments on paper
33.2 x 27 cm

Visnu and Shri embracing - From a set of preparatory drawings for the ‘Second Guler’ or ‘Tehri-Garhwal’ Gitagovinda
Original outlines attributed to Nainsukh, c. 1765, with additions by his sons and nephews
Brush drawing in red sanguine and dark brown with pink-yellow wash
19 x 28 cm Poppy on a gold ground
Deccan, probably Golkonda, c. 1700
Opaque pigments and gold on paper Folio 25.6 x 18 cm; painting 18 x 10.1 cm

07/03/2025

India’s Fascination with the Natural World opens next week as part of Asia Week New York. The exhibition brings together works commissioned by Mughal and Rajput patrons, as well as Company School paintings.
A luxurious painting of an Imaginary Flower (North Deccan, Aurangabad, dated 1669, once part of a manuscript made for Raja Jaswant Singh I of Jodhpur) enchants with the stark abstraction of the plant and the contrast of vibrant colours against a shimmering gold background.
A highly detailed and naturalistic depiction by the Master of the Fine Albums (Calcutta, c.1800) shows the Toon ciliata (Indian Mahogany Flowering Tree). This painting is one of a group of exceptionally fine botanical drawings made by unidentified artists for British patrons living in the Calcutta area in the early 19th century.

Both paintings are discussed in our online catalogue, see link in bio.

India’s Fascination with the Natural World
Mughal, Rajput and Company School Paintings
13 - 20 March 2025
Exhibiting at: Les Enluminures Gallery, 23 East 73rd Street, 7th Floor Penthouse

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