HAVE SOME MADEIRA, M'DEAR....*

A while ago I blipped my Indian elephant picture. This is the other painting I have in a similar style. I think it's an episode from a poem, and possibly those are the relevant verses above the central part of the scene, surrounded in gold paint, although the sheen of the gold doesn't show up well on here.

What I think is going on is a seduction scene in a royal hunting park. The seducer (or possibly new husband) is obviously very nobly born from the richness of his costume and jewellery. He has a beautifully decorated pavilion, surrounded by flowering trees and green lawns, and furnished with an expensive carpet and silk cushions. The lady who is the object of his attention is dressed very finely (look at the fine transparency of her costume, the embroidery, the detail of her jewellery and her hairstyle, and how her hands and feet have been decorated with henna, best seen in close-up). I think those are drinking vessels of some sort that they're holding. And who is the other chap on the right? Is he a bodyguard, a courtier, a rival or a wronged husband? I love this picture. The tiger, the deer and the bird are just wonderful.

The back of the picture (which is about A5 in size) has lots more Arabic verses on it. If anyone out there knows the story or any more background please tell me about it.

I bought this in a junk shop in Woking where it was just sellotaped to a piece of old cardboard. As I explained in my previous blip, the expert at the V&A said these paintings are probably done by copyists mass-producing pictures for the tourist trade in India, using pages from old books or documents to paint on. Whoever did this one is amazingly talented. I hope you like it too.

* Edit: For anyone who'd like a reminder of where the title comes from, this is it!