Studies for European-Style Portrait Miniatures and a Damsel Arranging Flowers

Unknown

ca. 1870 · Ink and watercolor on paper · Islamic Art

This page comprises a series of individual portrait studies of European subjects in oval frames, likely preparations for small ivory brooches or pendants. The subjects are identified via inscriptions written in Persian. The central sketch depicts a lady in Indian dress and jewelry, though the treatment of her downcast, half-closed eye, delicate lips, and angular nose suggest a European or Anglo-Indian heritage. She arranges flowers in a vase on a European table.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1870

Medium

Ink and watercolor on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005