An Indian miniature painting dating back to the 16th century is among over 1,400 lots unveiled for a new exhibition-cum-sale of British singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury’s treasured belongings by Sotheby’s auction house in London.
The Mughal folio from an Akbarnama depicting a prince on horseback with his entourage is priced between £30,000 and £50,000 and is said to be reflective of the flamboyant artist’s Indian Parsi ancestry.
Born Farrokh Bulsara, the rock star spent a significant period of his childhood in India where he went to boarding school at Panchgani, near Mumbai. The intricate miniature is among hundreds of art pieces that adorned his west London home of Garden Lodge, thrown open to the public for a free exhibition entitled ‘Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own’ at Sotheby’s from this week until early September.
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"Freddie adored this painting and appropriately it's called 'Journey of a Persian Prince', painted in the Persian tradition but produced in India," said David Macdonald, Head of Single Owner Sales at Sotheby’s.
"I think there's a parallel with Freddie's own life. You've got his own background as a Zoroastrian, growing up in Zanzibar and then going to boarding school near Mumbai. It is a serious museum quality work in its own right, not what you would normally associate with a rock star," he said.
The folio was acquired by Mercury within the last six months of his life and experts believe it is possible that his illness may have brought about a contemplation of his ancestry. Mercury’s Zoroastrian family belonged to the Parsi community who originated from Bulsar in western India.
The lead vocalist of the band Queen, who died aged 45, was an avid collector and his cherished London home was preserved almost as it was by his closest friend and ex-girlfriend Mary Austin since his death over 30 years ago.
Every inch of Sotheby’s 16,000 square foot gallery space in London’s New Bond Street has now been given over to the vast array of costumes, hand-written lyrics, drawings, furniture, and decorative and fine art that made up a treasure trove hidden to the world until now.
At the heart of the exhibition is the star lot that was deeply precious to Mercury and a vital element in the creation of his greatest compositions: his treasured Yamaha G2 Baby Grand Piano, estimated to go under the hammer between GBP 2 and 3 million.
“Freddie treated the Yamaha with absolute respect. He considered it to be more than an instrument, it was an extension of himself, his vehicle of creativity. He would never smoke at the piano or rest a glass on top of it and would ensure nobody else did either. The piano was always pristine,” said Mary Austin.
From Bohemian Rhapsody to Freddie’s final operatic masterpiece, Barcelona, the piano was at the heart of an extraordinary musical and personal journey, now the centrepiece of the widespread exhibition.
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Some of the items displayed in all 15 of Sotheby’s galleries are familiar from his greatest stage performances, including the red cape and crown he wore on his very final stage appearance with Queen at Knebworth in 1986.
But many of the items in the collection have never been seen by anyone other than Mercury’s closest circle of friends. From the early schooltime experiments with poetry to his enormous collection of rare furniture, Japanese decorative arts, glass, graphic arts and ceramics that Mercury sought out from auction houses and top manufacturers.
“So much has already been written and discussed about Freddie Mercury in the past 30 years, but perhaps never before have we had the privilege of coming so close to illuminating his personal world, something only known until now by his nearest and dearest – a true joy to discover,” added Macdonald.
The exhibition will close on what would have been Mercury’s 77th birthday on September 5, after which six dedicated auctions will kick off the following day, with online auctions running alongside.