Mughal royalty were known for their love of pleasure, from art and language, to architecture and gardens - and the women who would live in them. The watercolour you see on this page depicts the courtyard of a Mughal harem, built at some distance from the castle which could be seen across the river. These beauteous marble building quarters belong to the king’s wives, concubines, and female servants, all living together in their readiness to be available to him as and when he pleases.

It is an idyllic setting for the pursuits of a pleasure-loving man. A pristine stream in the background. Lush, rolling verdure as far as the eye could see. Gentle clouds, tinted with the gold of the sun that has already set, float by. In the foreground, the king has chosen a gorgeous young one in pink to begin his evening with. With a bottle of wine in one hand, he lifts up her chin with the other in order to gaze at her beauty.

The others are no less than her in terms of youth and beauty. They are all clad in thin, translucent silks so that the king may feast his eyes whenever he looks at them. They have the much-coveted olive-coloured skin of tropical women, long serpentine limbs, and waists that are ethereally small and supple. The hallmark of an authentic Mughal-style composition lies in the Persian rug on which the king is seated.