A PRINCESS ENTERTAINED IN A PALACE COURTYARD ON A RIVER BANK

This intricately detailed scene depicting a princess on a palace terrace surrounded by attendants appears to have been executed by a follower of the Awadhi artist Faizullah, who was painting in Faizabad and Lucknow in the late 18th century. The composition with the main scene taking place in the foreground with gardens, fountains and landscape beyond can be compared to ‘A dancer balances a bottle’, circa 1770, attributed to Faizullah or a close follower, now in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (inv.no.69.6; Markel, Gude, 2011, no.21, p.76-77). The use of perspective, receding terraces, and enclosed gardens displays strong European influence and the inheritance of stylistic features from earlier Mughal paintings that must have been known to artists working in Awadh. In the late 18th century, Awadhi artists developed a penchant for lavish terrace scenes and a vibrant colour palette with colourful textiles and women in colourful dresses.