Kesava Das

Kesava Das probably spent his days squinting at courtyards and counting tiles. He painted people who walk past you on the street, no grand gestures, just folded cloth and tired ankles. His Untitled from 1720 catches a servant balancing a stack of metal plates; the light on the tin is so matter-of-fact you feel the weight of the load. If you like quiet realism, tap that plate-bearer, he’s your door into 18th-century Delhi street life.