Noblewoman at a Jharokha Window Holding a Rose, from a Portraits of Women series
Unknown Artist
c. 1730
Medium
gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
page: 28 × 25.2 cm · miniature: 24.8 × 21.6 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2018.182
About this artwork
A royal woman stands on a palace balcony under a cusped arch. The carpet draped over the railing in front of her indicates to viewers that the person is a member of the royal family. The rulers of small kingdoms adopted the Mughal practice of locating the emperor in the jharokha window and expanded it to include other members of the royal household. They also adopted the Mughal taste for scalloped arches, swirling arabesque flowering-vine motifs, and images of flowering plants on the carpet. Her...