A PRINCE SURPRISES MAIDENS BATHINGMURSHIDABAD, 19TH CENTURY Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Image: 9 3/8 x 6 3/8 in. (23.8 x 16.2 cm); Folio: 11 1/8 x 8 1/2 in. (28.3 x 21.6 cm) The prince and his courtier are curiously attended to by cows, alluding to the episode of Krishna stealing the clothes of the gopis as they bathe in the lotus pond. The soft folds of the hillside recall landscapes favored by court artists of Murshidabad in the mid-late 18th century, notably found in a scene of Nawab Alivardi Khan hunting in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (D.1199-1903). Provenance: Christie's, London, 1970s/80s Private Californian Collection