The auction was led by an elegantly coloured and lyrical depiction of Radha consoled by Krishna in a forest, an illustration of a romantic night scene from the "Lambagraon" Gita Govinda series, which sold for £353,000 (est. £50,000-80,000). Another outstanding result was a large and arresting study of a Stork eating a snail from the important Lady Impey Series, that was part of the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy when it was sold by Sotheby’s in 1996, which brought £245,000 (est. £60,000-80,000).

Edward Gibbs, Sotheby’s Middle East & India Chairman, said: “Formed over four decades, every work in the Khosrovani-Diba collection had been handpicked for its exceptional quality and this was reflected in the steep competition that propelled the outstanding success of today’s sale. Together each beautifully-preserved piece tells the story of the development of Indian painting – from the technical excellence of the artists to the centuries of cultural exchange. Today’s result continues the tradition at Sotheby’s of presenting museum-quality collections of Indian miniatures, and will be remembered alongside landmark sales including Stuart Cary Welch and Sven Gahlin.”

Today’s auction featured as part of Sotheby’s Art of the Middle East & India week in London and was followed by Arts of the Islamic World, which totalled £4,656,125. The sales continue tomorrow afternoon with 20th Century Art / Middle East, a vibrant and exciting international platform for modern and contemporary arts from North Africa, Turkey, the Middle East and Iran. A full round-up on all four auctions will follow at the end of the week.