Sujan Singh of Bikaner and Ladies Shooting Heron from a Terrace 1701

Editor: This painting, attributed to Ustad Murad, depicts Sujan Singh of Bikaner and ladies shooting heron from a terrace. I'm struck by the contrast between the leisure of the scene and the act of hunting. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Let's consider the materials. Opaque watercolors, likely including ground gemstones, suggest the resources available to the patron. The depiction of hunting, traditionally a male pursuit, performed by women points to a potential blurring of gender roles within the Bikaner court's social production. Editor: That's fascinating – so the painting itself becomes a document of societal dynamics? Curator: Precisely. It invites us to consider the labour involved in producing the pigments, the social context of the commission, and even the consumption habits of the elite. Food for thought, isn't it? Editor: Absolutely. I never thought about it that way, focusing on the materials as evidence of a whole system.