Women in the Zenana

Image: 9 x 5 in. (22.5 x 12.5 cm.)

Folio: 11 ¾ x 7 ½ in. (30 x 19 cm.)

Outside in the secluded terrace garden, the women of the zenana are coupled in loving embrace. One of the seated figures turns towards the viewer as her female lover pulls her in for a kiss. Reclining on a large cushion, her gaze invites the eye into the scene as an attendant refills her cup. Beside them,two standing women gaze into each other’s eyes as they lavish one another in soft caresses. One clutches at her partner’s skirt, pulling her close as the attendant gazes at them from across the terrace. Dressed in translucent golden veils and strings of delicate pearls, the women are served never-ending drinks and platters of ripe, plump fruit.

The repetition of the floral motif–from the formal garden and the wild growths in the lower register, to the intricate terrace flooring and the delicate molding of the palace walls–denote the zenana as the feminine domain, filled with women in full bloom. Amorous zenana scenes such as in the present painting found their initial imperial expression during the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1627-1658). The harems’ sumptuous attire and leisurely pursuit of pleasure speaks to the prosperity of the realm and provides a window into the fantasies of the male artists and their patrons. Due to the inaccessibility of the zenana and the speculated delights therein, these imaginings of the women “behind-thewall” were archetypal and highly idealized depictions, rather than individualized portraits.

The present scene most likely comes from a Ragamala series as evidenced by its similarities to two other Ragamala folios depicting women in the zenana. See a circa-1760 set attributed to Hyderabad (see Falk and Archer, Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, London, 1981, no. 426vi, p. 508) as well as a folio in the Royal Collection Trust (RCIN 1005068.j).