Description:

        This is a beautiful Rajasthani miniature painting, created in 1970-80s in Jaipur, Rajasthan.  It captures a quiet, graceful moment inside the royal ‘Zenana’—the women’s quarters of a palace where the queen or princess is seated in her garden courtyard, surrounded by her companions or attendees. The depiction shows that one of the Queen’s attendants holding a mirror, while another one brings her a bowl of water and a piece of cloth and rest of them looking puzzled. The atmosphere is soft and intimate, full of elegance, friendship, and the quiet beauty of life behind palace walls.

The artist has described the moment in Devanagari script at the bottom of the painting. It’s poetic couplet, playful and delicate, bringing the scene to life with humour and charm. The verse written on the painting turns our gaze to a delicate detail: the white reflection of the queen’s pearl nose ring has fallen upon her lips. She notices it in the mirror and, mistaking it for a limestone stain which women traditionally applied as part of betel chewing, she tries to wipe it off.

Her friend, observant and amused, softly tells her,

“O clever one, this is not lime. It is the pearl’s reflection. A cloth won’t erase it.”

The History and Technique of Miniature Paintings;

Miniature paintings flourished under the Mughal, Rajput, Pahari, and Deccan courts between the 16th and 19th centuries. Artists used natural pigments and fine brushes often made from squirrel hair to paint on surfaces like paper, palm leaves, or even ivory.

This Miniature painting “The Royal Zenana” was made using watercolours and real gold leaf on paper. It follows the classic miniature tradition, known for its intricate details, fine lines, and graceful elegance.

Every fold of fabric, every carved pillar is painted with remarkable care. The floral carpet, the garden courtyard, the soft gestures — all of it reflects the soul of Indian miniature art: small frames, big stories.

Curious to know the full story behind this scene? Click here to read more on the Purathanam blog

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Product Details:

SKU ID: PVAMP007

Product Name: Royal Zenana Scene – Miniature Painting

Made of : Paper, Watercolor, Gold and Wood

Dimensions : 17.1” x 23.25” x 1” | Art: 12” x 16”

Weight : 3.6 kgs

Age : from 1970s-80s

Frame: Frame is new and made of Teak wood and would have an acrylic protection in place of glass.

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Please do check the dimensions before you buy.