Portrait of a Lady, anonymous, c. 1635 - c. 1645
brush, h 126mm × w 69mm More details
This young woman wears countless pieces of jewellery and her fingers are stained with henna. Attention was lavished on the translucent fabrics in which she is swathed. Such portraits of women came into fashion around the mid-17th century under the influence of the Mogul prince Dara Shikoh. The portraits were idealized, because an artist would never have been allowed inside the women’s private quarters.