The Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah I (reg. 1707-1712) at a balcony holding a flower
Sawar, circa 1710
gouache and gold on paper
307 x 257 mm.
Footnotes:
Sawar was founded during the reign of Jahangir, and continued under strong Mughal influence, so both the subject of this painting, and its jharoka format are no surprise. In other respects Sawar painting was influenced by its geographical proximity to Amber, Mewar, Bundi and Kotah. For a painting of Maharajah Raj Singh at a garden balcony, circa 1710-15, see A. Topsfield, Visions of Mughal India: the Collection of Howard Hodgkin, Oxford 2012, pp. 210-211, no. 89; and for other examples of Sawar paintings, and a discussion of the style and subject-matter, see A. Topsfield, M. C. Beach, Indian Paintings and Drawings from the Collection of Howard Hodgkin, London 1992, pp. 66-69, nos. 23 and 24.

For examples at auction, see Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 7th October 2010, lot 295 (a prince holding a flower at a balcony window); and Christie's, An Eye Enchanted: Indian Paintings from the Collection of Toby Falk, 27th October 2023, lot 38 (the Emperor Jahangir).
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