Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

The Ricky Jay Collection Part II

Sat, Oct 28, 2023 12:00PM EDT
Lot 59

CARATHA, Mahomed (fl. 1743 – 50). Mahomed Caratha the Surpr...

Estimate: $600 - $1,200

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
CARATHA, Mahomed (fl. 1743?50).?MAHOMED CARATHA THE SURPRIZING EQUILIBRIST.?Dublin: Printed and Sold by Mich. Hanbury, ca. 1751. Finely engraved image of the cape-clad Turk performing a wide variety of feats on a slack rope, among them juggling and balancing (flaming torches and balls, as well as glassware stacked in pyramids), as well as the trick popularized by Blondin of pushing a wheelbarrow on the rope with a baby resting inside (although in this instance, Caratha balances a pipe on his nose and holds flaming torches in his hands, pushing the cart with his hips). The equilibrist is also pictured playing the fiddle while standing atop an unsupported ladder. Framed to 14 ? 17?". Faint visible wear, but not examined out of frame. SCARCE.