Saif Uddin
Encyclopedia
Saif Uddin is a contemporary Indian artist specializing in ancient and, notably, modern Mughal paintings, Kota
school, Jaipur school and Bundi
school painting styles as well as custom Indian Jewellery.
understudied his brother Rafi Uddin a known artist of modern Mughal
miniature paintings.
Saif started at the age of nine and continues to paint albeit at a lower pace due to deteriorating eyesight. He worked 6 days a week 8 hours a day while at his brothers' service.
Saif painted over two hundred of these intensely time consuming works of art mostly under contract from his brother. Small Mughal paintings, 20x29cm typically, take up to three months to complete.
The artist left for London
during the summer of 2003 in order to sell his as well as his brothers works. In 2005 he returned to India
, his time in the United Kingdom
achieved mixed results. Due to his deteriorating vision he temporarily abandoned painting and took up creating and selling jewellery.
He worked one month in London before returning home where his uncle taught him the gemstone
business. He then sold jewellery in the Evergreen Guest House boutique in Jaipur. Located close to the biggest silver and stone market in Jaipur.
It was at this boutique that Saif met his wife Silke from Germany five month later they married in a traditional muslim
civil ceremony in 2004. He still paints a wide variety of works to this day.
He followed his wife to Germany
were he settled and opened a small Indian silver
and handicraft
store in which he continues his art.
Silke and Saif welcomed their daughter Samira in 2007.
was a stylized representation of a horse imbedded with a tangle of humans, tigers, lions, devils, dogs, camels, dragons and birds which took five months to complete.
Another painting he did under contract is a representation of a Mugal King, Shah Jahan
, the builder of the Taj Mahal
. The King is mounted on a black and white horse holding a spear. The painting sold for 500 Euros, an astronomical amount for India, had the 15 year old artist realized the proceeds.
Kota, Rajasthan
Kota , formerly known as Kotah, is a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located south of state capital, Jaipur. Situated on the banks of Chambal River, the city is the trade centre for an area in which millet, wheat, rice, pulses, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries...
school, Jaipur school and Bundi
Bundi
Bundi is a city and a municipality of approximately 88,000 inhabitants in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell reservoirs known as baoris...
school painting styles as well as custom Indian Jewellery.
Life
Son of Aziz Uddin and Abeda Bagum, born 8th son of a family of three brothers and six sisters. He grew up in JaipurJaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
understudied his brother Rafi Uddin a known artist of modern Mughal
Mughal painting
Mughal painting is a particular style of South Asian painting, generally confined to miniatures either as book illustrations or as single works to be kept in albums, which emerged from Persian miniature painting, with Indian Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist influences, and developed largely in the court...
miniature paintings.
Saif started at the age of nine and continues to paint albeit at a lower pace due to deteriorating eyesight. He worked 6 days a week 8 hours a day while at his brothers' service.
Saif painted over two hundred of these intensely time consuming works of art mostly under contract from his brother. Small Mughal paintings, 20x29cm typically, take up to three months to complete.
The artist left for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the summer of 2003 in order to sell his as well as his brothers works. In 2005 he returned to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, his time in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
achieved mixed results. Due to his deteriorating vision he temporarily abandoned painting and took up creating and selling jewellery.
He worked one month in London before returning home where his uncle taught him the gemstone
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
business. He then sold jewellery in the Evergreen Guest House boutique in Jaipur. Located close to the biggest silver and stone market in Jaipur.
It was at this boutique that Saif met his wife Silke from Germany five month later they married in a traditional muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
civil ceremony in 2004. He still paints a wide variety of works to this day.
He followed his wife to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
were he settled and opened a small Indian silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and handicraft
Handicraft
Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanic handicraft, sometimes also called artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is applied to traditional means...
store in which he continues his art.
Silke and Saif welcomed their daughter Samira in 2007.
Works
His favorite Mugal miniature was dedicated to his father shortly before his death he painted it in order to show his dying dad that he was in fact a better artist than his famous elder brother. The Mugal style paintingPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
was a stylized representation of a horse imbedded with a tangle of humans, tigers, lions, devils, dogs, camels, dragons and birds which took five months to complete.
Another painting he did under contract is a representation of a Mugal King, Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
, the builder of the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
. The King is mounted on a black and white horse holding a spear. The painting sold for 500 Euros, an astronomical amount for India, had the 15 year old artist realized the proceeds.