Apr 29, 2014

A prince celebrating Holi with palace women on a terrace at night (recto); calligraphy of a quatrain (verso)

A prince celebrating Holi with palace women on a terrace at night (recto); calligraphy of a quatrain (verso)

c. 1760

Part of a set. See all set records

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Page: 28.2 x 20.2 cm (11 1/8 x 7 15/16 in.)

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

Location

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.

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