ALWAR OR DELHI, INDIA, CIRCA 1820-30

The heavily bejewelled woman depicted in the present work lies on a day-bed in an ornately decorated interior. The amount of detail in the furnishings and architectural decoration is remarkable, with rich textiles, including the woman’s gold-edged darkly translucent shawl, red, gold and black cushions (beside which lie several roses), the embroidered gold valence (the surface of which is enlivened with pricking) and a European-style carpet. A flower-filled vase of blue and white porcelain with an equestrian image rests on a table, there is a European wall-lamp on the column, and the walls and columns are decorated all over with Mughal style gold floral designs. The figure of the woman here is similar to those in lots 13-16, and while the interiors of those examples are overtly Europeanised, the present composition combines both Mughal and European aspects. In this it displays an interesting variation on the themes and iconography in these five works and, like lots 13-16, underlines the artistic links around Alwar and Delhi in this period.