A romantic encounter, Jodhpur, early 19th century, watercolour and ink on paper, depicting a Rathor warrior, his sword slung over his shoulder and his shield suspended from the same shoulder standing beside a woman and reaching round to present her with flowers, the couple stand within an arch with the rudiments of a landscape sketched behind. , 25 x 15.3 cmThe romantic gesture of presenting a woman with flowers is more associated with Europe than India. For comparable male and female figures in drawings and paintings of this period from Jodhpur, see Crill, R., Marwar Painting: A History of the Jodhpur Style, Bombay, 2000, figs. 115, 116-119. The warrior's features are very well defined with an elegant turned back curl of hair beside his ear, a strikingly upturned moustache and heavy five o’clock shadow, all features found on a painting of Rathor Umaid Singh Jagmalot (ibid., fig. 115). Whereas Umaid Singh is clearly a Vaishnavite, however, judging by the marks on his forehead our warrior is clearly a worshipper of Shiva. The woman's features, particularly the curve of her eyebrow and the heavy eye-lid, again follow Jodhpur conventions of this time as seen on two ladies embracing in the National Museum, New Delhi (ibid., fig. 119).Provenance: Arthur Tooth, LondonPlease refer to department for condition report