Vina player entertaining a princess

Dateca. 1770–80

MediumOpaque pigments with gold and silver, laid down in a cropped album page with gilt margins and a floral design on the verso

DimensionsImage area: 9 × 6 1/2 inches (22.9 × 16.5 cm);
Sheet: 11 × 8 3/8 inches (27.9 × 21.3 cm)

CultureIndia, Awadh region

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineAcquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund

Terms

Paintings
Indian

Object number2017.015

Label CopySitting on a terrace under the light of a full moon and stars, a vina player entertains a princess, who is accepting a cup from one of her attendants. The musician looks directly at the viewer, perhaps inviting participation in the enjoyment of the music. The princess is shown in three-quarters view, with elaborate garments and her face painted as a portrait; by contrast the other three figures are depicted as types. The princess can likely be identified as Bahu Begam, wife of the Shiiite Muslim ruler of the Avadh region, Nawab Shuja ud-Daula (reigned 1754-1775), based on the resemblance to known portraits of her. Avadh paintings combine influences from a variety of sources due to artists migrating to the region’s courtly patrons as the Mughal empire waned and after Delhi was sacked by Persian ruler Nadir Shah in 1739.

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