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The courtesans patronised during the Mughal rule in India were a class apart. Unlike the modern-day streetwalker that mimics the mere airs of her medieval counterpart, the tawaif (Urdu for courtesan) used to be a work of art in motion. She used to sing and dance (mujra) and spin literature (Urdu), and cultivate tasteful hobbies such as gardening and theatre. The likes of her were beacons of beauty such that the nobility of the day flocked to their quarters.
This section of Indian paintings features exquisite portrayals of olden-day courtesans. Captured in the midst of their artistic and/or seduction routines, the courtesans in these paintings provide interesting glimpses into that volatile life of beauty and pleasure. Any of these beauteous damsels would add to your space an elusive charm. The Indian courtesans were frequented by the nobles of the Mughal courts.
Patronised by usually a single powerful and wealthy gentleman, each of them was an artiste in her own right and contributed immensely to traditional Indian performing arts as well as the Hindustani literary tradition. What makes the paintings curated here so authentic is the fact that a number of the pieces in this collection are reproductions of ancient Indian miniatures, the exquisiteness of which are not to be found in any other visual arts tradition in the world. The colours employed are rich and vivid.
The silks and velvets of their quarters, which constitute the backdrop against which most of these ivory-skinned courtesans are painted, are depicted in lifelike and luxuriant detail. These are visual representations of a time and way of life that no longer exist in the fast-paced and relatively cheap ways of the present time. From the dense blackness of their tresses to the classical features of their forms, from the richly coloured silks and jewels they were always seen in to their inimitable stance, each of these Mughal paintings is a fine example of aesthetics and skill.
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