A Bejewelled Maiden with a Parakeet

Unknown

ca. 1670–1700 · Opaque watercolor and gold on paper · Islamic Art

This young beauty seen through a cusped arch has been idealized as the daughter of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The convention of a woman holding a parakeet is seen in Deccani painting and textiles and is also known from a long-standing tradition in Indian sculpture; here the prominent use of gold is typical of Deccani taste. The bird sits on the maiden’s henna-reddened fingers, each one of which is separately adorned by a diamond ring.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1670–1700

Medium

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 2011