A Princess Consoled by her Handmaidens, Provincial Mughal, circa 1800

Sotheby's London, 28th April 1981, lot 45.

An intimate evening within the women's quarters (zenana) of a royal household. A princess sits cross-legged holding her ankle - her head downcast - as her attendants gather around expressing concern and offering advice. The maiden at the left holds a small vessel (perhaps a flask or perfume bottle) as another at the right leans forward fluffing her pillow. Set before them is an assortment of objects: fruit, bowls and candlestick.

Zenana scenes showing a noblewoman upset by her absent lover - in states of longing or grief called virahini (a woman separated from her beloved) was a popular subject in both Rajput and late Mughal painting. In our painting the naturalistic modeling of faces, the dark ground within the oval, and the European-influenced format align our miniature more closely with the Awadh (Lucknow) or Delhi schools.

The figures are dressed in late Mughal courtly manner: diaphanous dupattas, rich brocade or floral-patterned skirts in red, green, and gold, and multiple strands of jewelry. The palette of deep crimson, sap green, ivory and gold against a dark ground oval form - is typical of the elegant nocturnal scenes admired by patrons of the Provincial Mughal courts of Delhi, Awadh and Bengal in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The oval format became fashionable in Lucknow painting during the reign of the nawabs of Awadh, particularly from around the 1770's, when European oval portrait miniatures were widely admired. The richly gilded rectangular outer borders with repeating golden floral arabesques on a dark ground is a hallmark of Provincial Mughal painting produced in centers such as Lucknow, Murshidabad, and Delhi.

For a related somewhat earlier Mughal depiction attributed to Muhammad Gawhar "Two Princesses Entertained at Night on a Terrace" see "Francesca Galloway "Indian Painting: Intimacy and formality", Asia Week NY 2024.

Also compare the Lucknow school miniatures in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (e.g., IS.133-1964) and the British Museum (1920,0917 series), as well as Nawab-period works published by Losty and Roy (2012) and Leach (1995).

The present painting was acquired by the current owner at Replica Shoes 's London in 1981, and has remained in his collection ever since.

Further References:

Beach, Milo Cleveland "Mughal and Rajput Painting" Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. (The New Cambridge History of India, I.3.)

Leach, Linda York "Mughal and Other Indian Paintings from the Chester Beatty Library" 2 vols. London: Scorpion Cavendish, 1995.

Losty, J. P., and Malini Roy "Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire" London: British Library, 2012.

Losty, J.P. "Court and Courtship: Indian Miniature Paintings in the TAPI Collection"  New Delhi: Niyogi Books, 2021. The Praful and Shilpa Shah collection which includes an essay by J. P. Losty on zenana scenes and women in Indian painting.