COURTESANS ENJOYING FIREWORKS


GULER, CIRCA 1760Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Image: 8 1/2 x 6 1/4 in. (21.5 x 15.8 cm);Folio: 13 1/4 x 10 in. (33.5 x 25.4 cm)
|Under a full moon the two maidens stand on a balcony setting off fireworks that pour onto the garden bed below. Given the intimate setting and absence of other figures that would normally be associated with such celebrations, the scene may represent a budding friendship or romance. With their fixed gazes on each other's eyes and the closed screen on the palace door they prefer not to be disturbed. Published Vijay Sharma, Kangra ki Citramkan Parampara, Chamba, 2010, p.46. Provenance. Chughtai Collection, Lahore Private German Collection