Artwork Page for Lovers parting, page from a book of fables

Details / Information for Lovers parting, page from a book of fables

Lovers parting, page from a book of fables

c. 1590–95

Northern India, Mughal court, 16th century

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Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Measurements
Page: 36.1 x 24.8 cm (14 3/16 x 9 3/4 in.); Painting: 24 x 12 cm (9 7/16 x 4 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.303
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The lovers have met in a remote wilderness location, away from the city shown in the distance. However, their affair has run its course, and they decide to part ways, each walking in opposite directions through an ominous landscape, where strange rock formations and an oversized serpent-slain by foxes gnawing on its innards-lend a sense of foreboding. As Mughal court painting developed into the last decades of the 16th century, artists began using increasingly muted colors and gentler shading techniques than they did in the more robust Adventures of Hamza at the left. The omission of a light source and shadows adds to a timeless, otherworldly impression to the landscape.
A vertically oriented gum tempera and ink painting depicts two people with medium skin tones and a large snake in a rocky landscape. On our left, a woman in a red skirt gestures toward the coiled green reptile. On our right, a man in a red tunic and white turban raises one hand. Two small animals sit at the bottom, while hills and buildings fill the background within a blue and gold border.

Lovers parting, page from a book of fables

c. 1590–95

Northern India, Mughal court, 16th century

See Also

  • Collection
    Indian
  • Department
    Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Type of artwork
    Painting
  • Medium
    Tempera
  • Credit line
    Gift In Honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by Exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection

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