Women playing at cross-dressing
1804
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1804
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Women playing at cross-dressing is a 1804 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, depicting Deccan, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see three women in a palace room—one wears a man’s feathered turban, another holds out a cup of wine, and attendants stand by with bottles and a fan. This painting was made in a workshop where different artists did different jobs. One drew the scene, another filled in colors, and someone else added the fine details. It shows women pretending to be men, which was a playful, private moment in a royal harem. To see more like this, look up India, Golconda, Deccan, 17th century.
In this scene harem women act out the visit of a prince. One of them has donned a man’s royal feathered turban, and a lady affectionately offers a cup of wine as attendants stand by with two more bottles, a fan, and a rose. The master artist of an Indian painting workshop would draw the composition and make visual notations as to which colors and patterns should be used. The drawing would then be given to a colorist to paint, with final details rendered by another artist or the initial master.
Heavy eyelids give a languorous quality to paintings made in Golconda.
Read the full account in the museum source.
