Noblewoman at a Jharokha Window Holding a Rose, from a Portraits of Women series
1730
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1730
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Noblewoman at a Jharokha Window Holding a Rose, from a Portraits of Women series is a 1730 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman in a pink dress leans on a balcony railing, holding a single rose. The arch above her is shaped like a scallop shell, and flowers twine across the stone. This window, called a *jharokha*, was where rulers showed themselves to the public. Smaller kingdoms copied the idea but let royal women use it too. The carpet on the railing is a quiet sign of status—only family members got to stand behind it. To see more of these royal portraits, look up *rajput kingdom of sawar*.
A royal woman stands on a palace balcony under a cusped arch. The carpet draped over the railing in front of her indicates to viewers that the person is a member of the royal family. The rulers of small kingdoms adopted the Mughal practice of locating the emperor in the jharokha window and expanded it to include other members of the royal household. They also adopted the Mughal taste for scalloped arches, swirling arabesque flowering-vine motifs, and images of flowering plants on the carpet. Her oversized eye emphasizes the importance of seeing and being seen.
The carpet is patterned with roses to match the flowers she holds.
Read the full account in the museum source.
