Ladies on a Terrace, India, Mughal or Provincial Mughal, possibly Lucknow, early 18th century

Sotheby's London, 6 April 2011, lot 247

Private collection, UK

By the end of Aurangzeb’s reign (r. 1658 to 1707), many Delhi court artists migrated to the Deccan, Rajasthan, and the Pahari hills, fostering a blend of imperial and provincial styles. Eighteenth-century court painting thus reflects these cultural and political exchanges. This illustration exemplifies the refined palette and compositional restraint associated with the Mughal school in Awadh. Following the Persian sack of Delhi in 1739, several artists from the atelier of Muhammad Shah (r. 1719–1748) settled in Awadh. Initially aligned with the Mughal idiom, the Awadh court soon flourished independently, developing a distinctive artistic style.

This scene of leisure centres on two women surrounded by their attendants. Vibrant jewellery, delicate glassware, and an intricately patterned carpet frame the interaction. Directly behind the terrace flows a river, beyond which buildings cluster in the hills, a detail suggestive of European influence, underscoring the refinement and cosmopolitan elegance of provincial Mughal court life. Terrace scenes such as this were particularly popular in the eighteenth century; notable examples from the period can be found in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (Acc.No. IM.105-1922, IM.294A-1914, and IM.294A-1914).