A Royal Romance

The royal ateliers almost shut down during the reign of the later Mughals. The artists moved on in search of new patrons. The chief beneficiaries of this exercise were the local schools that combined the elements of the Mughal art with theirs, and produced excellent art works.

An exquisite rendering of the subtle ecstasy of romance is seen here. The painting reveals honest and deep seated sensibilities which could not have been experienced without an understanding of the subject and its intense feelings. The princess is travelling with a female companion atop a richly caparisoned elephant. An elaborate 'howdah' is placed on the back of the elephant for her utmost comfort. She is relaxing against the bolster when she encounters the prince on the horseback. She and her companion wear jewelry covering them from head to toe and have smeared their hands with henna. The nimbus around the rider's head denotes his status, as was popular with the Mughal style. Hence, we assume he is a prince offering a gem to the lady with whom he is visibly in love with. He wears a long angarakha with a patka (sash) around his waist. He wears a turban decorated with pearls and a plume. A long sword hangs down his waist. The artist has taken great pains to achieve the exact expression of love and longing on both their faces as the companion impassively looks forward.

Coming to the animals, the elephant is a composite one consisting of various other animal forms. It lacks the wonderfully fluid and natural way that all the disparate forms flow in Mughal composite paintings. The horse is elegant but looks bulky on the belly.

An exciting depiction of romance and adventure, it's quite unlike the contemporary style as the impact of this painting relies mainly on color. The Deccani artist extolled rhythm and color, imagination and poetic effect.

This description by Kiranjyot.