1 A standing Beauty Holding a Flower Mughal, Delhi, ca. 1720-1740 Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Folio 11¼ x 8⅛ in, 28.6 x 20.5 cm Painting 5⅜ x 3⅛ in, 13.5 x 7.8 cm
Without making so dramatic a gesture, this beauty lifts up a flower and gazes off into space, perhaps thinking of her absent lover, a theme often encountered in Indian painting. Formal full length portraits with the figure set on a low ground with a simple pale green background are often seen in sets of portraits of particular lineages, such as the Mughals. The elaborate border suggests that it may have been part of such a group and originally was bound in a muraqqa‘ or album. She is sumptuously dressed as if she is some important princess.
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