AN ILLUSTRATION TO A BOOK OF INDIAN FABLES
Possibly Mewar, Rajasthan, North-Western India, 19th century

Opaque pigments heightened with gold and silver on paper, the vertical composition depicting a Rajput nobleman, possibly a prince, kneeling in front of a river, holding a gourd-shaped golden flask, an attendant calling for his attention in the background, at the top two lines of black ink Devanagari script against a bright ochre background, the poetry text referring to the vibrations of a mischievous heart, the scene set within black and white rules, and bright red borders, 20.8cm x 14.5cm.