Mughal Miniature XIX

Mughal watercolour depicting an erotic court scene. The Mughal style offered subtlety and finesse, depicted almost three-dimensional figures and created an optical reality. Royal court scenes, portraits, and faithful representations of flora and fauna were some of the favourite themes of Mughal artists. Effects of European curiosity and taste, these works also illustrate one of the trends in Indian pictorial production of the 18th century, which readily favoured hedonistic themes, such as the evocation of these dance performances (nautch), which Europeans did not fail to attend, or even intimate scenes set in the apartments reserved for women (zenana). Small scratches on the surface of the watercolour in two places
Perfectly framed