Artwork Page for A princess on a terrace with attendants at night (recto); Calligraphy (verso)

Details / Information for A princess on a terrace with attendants at night (recto); Calligraphy (verso)

A princess on a terrace with attendants at night (recto); Calligraphy (verso)

c. 1760

India, Farrukhabad, Mughal, 18th century

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Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Measurements
Miniature: 25.4 x 19.7 cm (10 x 7 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 2013.341
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Rolled-up textiles could be let down to enclose the space of an open pavilion.

Description

Before a terrace pavilion in the women’s quarters of a palace, a royal woman stretches to show off her figure in accordance with age-old Indian poetic imagery. Female musicians provide entertainment, and attendants hold bottles of wine at the ready. Scenes of enjoyment in sumptuous domestic spaces pervaded the artistic repertoire of the imperial court and regional centers of northern India throughout the late 1700s, following the themes set by the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah.
A vertically oriented gum tempera and ink painting displays two panels. On our left, five women with medium and medium-light skin tones gather on a terrace at night. One woman stretches her arms while seated, flanked by others holding bottles and playing instruments. On our right, Persian script flows diagonally across a cream panel with gold flecks, framed by multiple ornate red and gold borders with blue decorative corners.

A princess on a terrace with attendants at night (recto); Calligraphy (verso)

c. 1760

India, Farrukhabad, Mughal, 18th 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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