“A Princess seated in an Interior, possibly Desavarati Ragini” is a beautiful work of Mughal art, attributable to Mihr Chand, the esteemed Awadhi Mughal artist who served in the court of Shuja ud-Daulah. The work depicts a woman, likely Desavarati Ragini as evidenced by the woman arching her back while raising her arms over her head, the common way in which Desavarati Ragini was depicted in Indian aesthetics. The woman is depicted beautifully, with sparkling golden ornaments, and a delicate sari with a sheer shawl. We see other women surrounding her, each similarly dressed, caught up in their own world. One woman is shown holding a fan, while another has a parrot in her hand. We see thus the luxury and hedonism of the Awadhi court embodied strikingly well by this work.
Mihr Chand was a well known master in the Allahabad school of painting. He was trained in the school by his father, Ganga Ram, who was possibly a painter in Late Mughal Delhi. In 1759, he wound up in Allahabad, likely serving under the Mughal Prince Ali Gauhar. He later moved to Faizabad, which was held by Shua-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Awadh, who was turning the city into a cultural center. Important here was his service as the head of the personal atelier of Antoine Polier, who was an EIC officer and chief engineer at the court of Shuja-ud-Daula.
"The Princess Seated in an Interior, possibly Desavarati Ragini" is a great painting that depicts elegance and lifestyle in the Awadhi Mughal court. The female figure in the middle, considered to be Desavarati Ragini, is depicted in an elegant posture with hands stretched upward. This painting follows the traditional iconography of this type of musical form. She wears ornate jewellery and a delicate saree with a sheer shawl to emphasize the elegance of the woman. The ladies around her involved in different activities add elegance to the scene and give a sense of luxury to the courtly life.
