Attributed to Muhammad Gawhar, Two Princesses Entertained at Night on a Terrace, Mughal, India, c. 1690, opaque pigments with gold on paper, folio 39.8 × 28.1 cm; painting 20 × 12.9 cm

Indian Painting: Intimacy and Formality
March 14–21, 2024
Asia Week Hours: Mar 14-21, 10am-6pm (otherwise by appointment)
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 14 until 8pm
Les Enluminures Gallery 23 East 73rd Street, 7th floor Penthouse

For Asia Week New York, Francesca Galloway is pleased to present a small and exciting group of 17th and 18th century Mughal paintings, works from famous Bundi & Kota Ragamalas, a grand early 19th century Maratha processional scene by a Hyderabad trained artist, drawings for the famous Tehri Garhwal Gita Govinda series and Company School paintings including portraits of Indian children, a Skinner trooper and architectural studies of Mughal monuments and Hindu temples.

Asavari Ragini, Folio from a Ragamala series, Kota, India, c. 1720, opaque pigments with gold on paper, folio 35.7 × 25.7 cm; painting 20.2 × 11.2 cm

The title of this exhibition, two years in the making, reflects some of the key themes that are expressed in this group of Indian paintings. Our exhibition allows viewers to peer into this world, both intimate and formal. Amongst some of these most intimate scenes is that of a Mughal emperor, not in courtly splendour but tenderly cradling his favorite grandson, a religious gathering of devoted followers and a zenana scene more intimate than formal. By contrast, the formal scenes so often evoked in our imaginings of India can be seen in the grand processions, extraordinary tiger hunts and in formal portraits commissioned by the Emperor Shah Jahan, these paintings show us the courtly world in its stately splendor.

Francesca Galloway’s website contains a wealth of information about this exhibition, including the catalog which can be downloaded here.