Lady Watching Her Maid Kill a Snake

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Lady Watching Her Maid Kill a Snake

c. 1775-1800

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

On the grounds outside a palace, a woman spears a serpent and turns to meet the gazes of two other women. One of the onlookers is a noble lady dressed elaborately in gold. Gold--a favorite pigment of Deccani painters--is also used in the outlines of foliage, in details of architecture, and in the sky. This is one of at least four known versions of a painting, now lost, that was made in Bijapur in about 1620. In the version shown here, the artist reformatted the original square composition to a vertical one and omitted a fourth woman and other minor details.

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Object Details

Title:

Lady Watching Her Maid Kill a Snake

Date:

c. 1775-1800

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor with gold on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 10 5/16 × 5 inches (26.2 × 12.7 cm) Sheet: 12 × 6 13/16 inches (30.5 × 17.3 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Purchased with the Katharine Levin Farrell Fund, 1972

Accession Number:

1972-160-2

Geography:

Made in Deccan Region, India, Asia Probably made in Bijapur, Karnataka, India, Asia

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