Princess with her duena

Mughal India, circa 1760

Opaque pigments on paper with gold, the black-ground border with gold meander, laid down in an album page with repeating gold chamfered floral panels on an ivory ground; a panel of cursive calligraphy on the verso

9 ½ by 6 ¼ in.; 24.1 by 16 cm. painting

16 ½ by 11 ½ in.; 42 by 29 cm. folio

 

PROVENANCE

Dr. Viola Bernard (1907-98), Nyack, New York, daughter of Maurice Wertheim (1886-1950)

 

INSCRIPTIONS

The panel of shikasta script on the verso comprises a description of a royal hunt, possibly that of Shah Jahan, in which a prize falcon called ‘Ali Himmat (‘Lofty Zeal’) distinguishes itself.

 

A young lady in the first flush of youth sniffs a narcissus, whilst accompanied by a woman long past her prime.  The two are a study in opposites.  The young lady is fresh-faced, heavily bejeweled, and clad in diaphanous clothing that emphasizes her slim curves, her slender fingers henna-tipped.  The duenna, on the other hand, has features sagging with extra weight and is wrapped in shapeless robes and shawls, no jewels in sight. As if to reinforce the point, the younger woman holds a flower that appears in early spring.