I bought the dealer's full set of 4 Rajput vegetable miniatures because I could tell it was a joke. I like the idea of the artist gently thumbing his nose at his client. Perhaps the storefront had demanded something new and fresh for the tourist rupee. Sales were down on dreamlike images of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. So, the lead painter delivered on demand. It shows the "paint-by-numbers" methods employed. The gold floral frames are mass produced by less skilled workers. An artist skilled in fine brushwork fills in the central blank panel. I liked this one for its Rembrandt-like quality. I imagine that in some backstreet workshop tonight there are painters busy producing more veggie still lives because one tourist had a sense of humor.
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