DEMONS FIGHTING OVER A CAMEL'S PAW

The present painting appears to be a later version of a painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in mirror reverse (TMMA 1989.236.3). The museum's painting dates from the last quarter of the seventeenth century and is thought to have been painted in Bikaner, Rajasthan or in the Deccan. Steven Kossak noted its Deccani palette, in particular the use of lavender and mauve, and the peculiar rock forms. The rendering of the ladies in Rajput fashion, as well as the trees and animals, points towards the courtly style of Bikaner in Rajasthan. Most noteworthy are the fantastical demons fighting over an animal limb. Kossak suggests, “these originated in Central Asian manuscripts, which were copied in Persia and ultimately served as models for Islamic court ateliers elsewhere, including those in the Deccan” (S. Kossak, Indian Court Painting 16th-19th Century, Metropolitan Museum, New York, 1997, pp. 66-67, no. 34).
The striking similarity between the two paintings suggests that the artist of the present work was aware of the earlier version and executed this painting using a tracing.