Untitled

Unknown

late 17th century · Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper · Asian Art

In this painting, set in a fantastic landscape with rocks, trees and a cityscape in the distance, two fearsome demons are seen quarreling over the leg of an animal. In the middle ground, three women dressed in typical Rajput fashion and carrying water pots, are oblivious to the demons in their midst. Demonic of this bizarreness are best known in Central Asian manuscript painting, and indeed this is probably their origin, transmitted to India via Persian models. The painter reveals himself as one trained in Rajasthan, probably in the Bikaner court, who was exposed to Deccani painting, either through travel or by access to Deccan paintings at his patron’s library.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 17th century

Medium

Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper

Culture

India (Rajasthan, Bikaner or the Deccan)

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Doris Rubin, in memory of Harry Rubin, 1989