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Lot Essay
This refined and atmospheric painting captures a quiet but dazzling moment of courtly celebration. On a marble terrace beneath a clear, starlit sky, two elegantly dressed women hold sparklers over an oval, scalloped-edge pool. In the distance, a line of fireworks lights up the horizon, casting the nocturnal scene in golden bursts of festivity. The composition is symmetrical, poised, and imbued with an air of intimacy and grace. As Sheila Canby notes, “the mood is one of elegance and quiet festivity, an intimate moment of courtly leisure captured with symmetry and grace.”
Painted during a period of political fragmentation following the death of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, this work reflects the shift in elite taste from imperial grandeur to romantic nostalgia and refined sociability. Although the Mughal court’s influence waned throughout the 18th century, the reign of Muhammad Shah (1719–1748) marked a brief but vital revival in artistic patronage. Court painters turned increasingly to themes of nocturnal leisure, terrace scenes, and the pleasures of private celebration. The present painting is emblematic of that transition: its subject is not heroic, but celebratory; its focus not on grandeur, but on elegance and beauty.
Though long associated with stylistic traits found in the later Mughal oeuvre, particularly those attributed to Govardhan II, known for his delicate rendering of fashionable women and symmetrical terrace scenes, the painting’s deeper affinities lie with the distinctive aesthetic of the Kishangarh school. In particular, the composition resonates strongly with the work of Bhavanidas, the seminal artist who helped define the Kishangarh style during the mid-18th century.
Bhavanidas was trained at the Mughal court and brought his refined technique to Kishangarh in 1719, during the reign of Raja Rai Singh (1706–1748). His arrival marked a critical moment in the evolution of the Kishangarh atelier, laying the groundwork for the school’s characteristic blend of Mughal realism and poetic idealism. As Milo Beach and others have noted, Bhavanidas’ impact on Rajput painting was profound. Stuart Cary Welch described him as a figure whose “powers of emotional expression, satire, and caricature were beyond the reach of other Rajput artists.” Navina Haidar, in her contributions to Garden and Cosmos and other publications, further underscores his role in shaping Kishangarh’s signature themes of courtly intimacy, lyrical romance, and ethereal beauty.
Stylistically, this painting shares many hallmarks of Bhavanidas’ hand. The women’s diaphanous saris, trimmed with vertical gold banding, the long, slender arms, and the idealized facial features—small, oval faces with delicately rendered hairlines, are all characteristic. The left-hand figure’s unkempt, flowing tresses and the buckling of the head scarf of the figure on the right are seen in other works attributed to Bhavanidas, such as the Night of Revery from the Stuart Cary Welch Collection (Sotheby’s London, 31 May 2011, lot 20) and the holi celebration from the Sven Gahlin Collection (Sotheby's London, 6 October 2015, lot 56) further reinforcing the attribution. The flat perspective of the terrace architecture, with its central steps and elevation, also aligns with his known visual language.
While later Kishangarh painting is often associated with Nihal Chand and his iconic depictions of Bani Thani, it was Bhavanidas who established the visual vocabulary of feminine elegance and introspective charm that became the hallmark of the school. This painting is a prime example of that vision, its palette restrained but luminous, its mood celebratory yet serene.
This composition has also been recognized in broader scholarly and curatorial circles; it was featured on the back cover of the 1998 catalogue of Princes, Poets and Paladins, highlighting its significance within the canon of Indian court painting and its enduring appeal as a work of exceptional refinement.
Taken together, this painting is an evocative and historically resonant example of mid-18th-century Indian court art. It bridges the refined aesthetics of the late Mughal atelier with the emerging romanticism of Kishangarh, and stands as a luminous testament to Bhavanidas’ singular role in shaping one of the subcontinent’s most poetic artistic traditions.
Painted during a period of political fragmentation following the death of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, this work reflects the shift in elite taste from imperial grandeur to romantic nostalgia and refined sociability. Although the Mughal court’s influence waned throughout the 18th century, the reign of Muhammad Shah (1719–1748) marked a brief but vital revival in artistic patronage. Court painters turned increasingly to themes of nocturnal leisure, terrace scenes, and the pleasures of private celebration. The present painting is emblematic of that transition: its subject is not heroic, but celebratory; its focus not on grandeur, but on elegance and beauty.
Though long associated with stylistic traits found in the later Mughal oeuvre, particularly those attributed to Govardhan II, known for his delicate rendering of fashionable women and symmetrical terrace scenes, the painting’s deeper affinities lie with the distinctive aesthetic of the Kishangarh school. In particular, the composition resonates strongly with the work of Bhavanidas, the seminal artist who helped define the Kishangarh style during the mid-18th century.
Bhavanidas was trained at the Mughal court and brought his refined technique to Kishangarh in 1719, during the reign of Raja Rai Singh (1706–1748). His arrival marked a critical moment in the evolution of the Kishangarh atelier, laying the groundwork for the school’s characteristic blend of Mughal realism and poetic idealism. As Milo Beach and others have noted, Bhavanidas’ impact on Rajput painting was profound. Stuart Cary Welch described him as a figure whose “powers of emotional expression, satire, and caricature were beyond the reach of other Rajput artists.” Navina Haidar, in her contributions to Garden and Cosmos and other publications, further underscores his role in shaping Kishangarh’s signature themes of courtly intimacy, lyrical romance, and ethereal beauty.
Stylistically, this painting shares many hallmarks of Bhavanidas’ hand. The women’s diaphanous saris, trimmed with vertical gold banding, the long, slender arms, and the idealized facial features—small, oval faces with delicately rendered hairlines, are all characteristic. The left-hand figure’s unkempt, flowing tresses and the buckling of the head scarf of the figure on the right are seen in other works attributed to Bhavanidas, such as the Night of Revery from the Stuart Cary Welch Collection (Sotheby’s London, 31 May 2011, lot 20) and the holi celebration from the Sven Gahlin Collection (Sotheby's London, 6 October 2015, lot 56) further reinforcing the attribution. The flat perspective of the terrace architecture, with its central steps and elevation, also aligns with his known visual language.
While later Kishangarh painting is often associated with Nihal Chand and his iconic depictions of Bani Thani, it was Bhavanidas who established the visual vocabulary of feminine elegance and introspective charm that became the hallmark of the school. This painting is a prime example of that vision, its palette restrained but luminous, its mood celebratory yet serene.
This composition has also been recognized in broader scholarly and curatorial circles; it was featured on the back cover of the 1998 catalogue of Princes, Poets and Paladins, highlighting its significance within the canon of Indian court painting and its enduring appeal as a work of exceptional refinement.
Taken together, this painting is an evocative and historically resonant example of mid-18th-century Indian court art. It bridges the refined aesthetics of the late Mughal atelier with the emerging romanticism of Kishangarh, and stands as a luminous testament to Bhavanidas’ singular role in shaping one of the subcontinent’s most poetic artistic traditions.