Artwork Page for A prince celebrating Holi with palace women on a terrace at night (recto)

Details / Information for A prince celebrating Holi with palace women on a terrace at night (recto)

A prince celebrating Holi with palace women on a terrace at night (recto)

c. 1760

India, Farrukhabad, Mughal, 18th century

View all records in artwork set
Medium
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Measurements
Page: 27.7 x 19.6 cm (10 7/8 x 7 11/16 in.); Page: 28.2 x 20.2 cm (11 1/8 x 7 15/16 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 2013.342.a
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Pairs of ducks swim under the full moon on the night of the vernal equinox.

Description

Images of pleasure and play abound in Mughal paintings of the latter half of the 1700s. Under a full moon reflected off a river and by the light of candles, a prince celebrates the spring festival of Holi with a group of palace women. Holi festivities include the boisterous tradition of smearing one another with colored powders—shown heaped on dishes—or shooting colored liquid using plunger guns.
A vertically oriented tempera and gold painting depicts nine people with black hair and light-brown skin tones sitting on a purple foreground terrace. A man in a pink turban joins women in translucent yellow and pink robes playing instruments near candles. Behind them, a gold railing separates the terrace from an ornate pavilion. Receding into the background, three birds float on water beneath a dark sky and a full white moon.

A prince celebrating Holi with palace women on a terrace at night (recto)

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

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork