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Lot Essay
A pair of musicians trail a melancholic princess, who hangs her head low as she is being assisted to her bedchamber. They cross a multi-level terrace connecting two richly decorated pavilions painted with an iridescent silver, with lush gardens and active fountains between. Thick rain clouds fill the sky, as a maiden clears a bed and meal on the terrace behind. It appears the princess is despondent over an impending storm delaying a visit from her lover.
The eighteenth century saw a great revival of Mughal painting under the patronage of the emperor Muhammed Shah (r.1719-48). However, after Delhi was sacked by the army of Nader Shah in 1739, many artists fled the capital to seek employment with Nawabs and European officials in the Mughal provinces. Classical Shah Jahan period painting styles and themes became increasingly popular at ateliers in Murshidabad, Awadh and Lucknow, emphasizing nostalgia as a prevalent mood of the time. The present painting illustrates a favored subject in imperial Mughal painting executed in a distinctly provincial style found in Murshidabad.
As opposed to an earlier example seen in the previous lot, the artist focuses on a bolder line, striking use of color, and lavish use of gold.
The present painting closely compares stylistically to a large series on the Dastur-i Himmat from eighteenth-century Murshidabad at the Chester Beatty library, illustrated by Linda Leach in Mughal and Other Indian Paintings from the Chester Beatty Library, vol. 2, London, 1995, pp. 623-654, nos. 6.21-6.231. This is particularly evident in the physiognomy of the ladies and their porcelain tones, the rich execution of gardens and architecture, and the gold trimmings of the ladies' dress.
The eighteenth century saw a great revival of Mughal painting under the patronage of the emperor Muhammed Shah (r.1719-48). However, after Delhi was sacked by the army of Nader Shah in 1739, many artists fled the capital to seek employment with Nawabs and European officials in the Mughal provinces. Classical Shah Jahan period painting styles and themes became increasingly popular at ateliers in Murshidabad, Awadh and Lucknow, emphasizing nostalgia as a prevalent mood of the time. The present painting illustrates a favored subject in imperial Mughal painting executed in a distinctly provincial style found in Murshidabad.
As opposed to an earlier example seen in the previous lot, the artist focuses on a bolder line, striking use of color, and lavish use of gold.
The present painting closely compares stylistically to a large series on the Dastur-i Himmat from eighteenth-century Murshidabad at the Chester Beatty library, illustrated by Linda Leach in Mughal and Other Indian Paintings from the Chester Beatty Library, vol. 2, London, 1995, pp. 623-654, nos. 6.21-6.231. This is particularly evident in the physiognomy of the ladies and their porcelain tones, the rich execution of gardens and architecture, and the gold trimmings of the ladies' dress.