This dynamic panorama depicts the courtyards and gardens of a large and complex palace. The central scene shows a princess with attendants and musicians watching a dancer skillfully balancing flasks. In the distant background, tiny vignettes of daily life contrast with this peek into the private royal quarters: boats ply the river, a horseman is attacked by a crocodile, two oxen work an irrigation well, and a princely figure on an elephant enters a tiger-filled enclosure ready for the hunt. Along with the architecture of the palace, the rectangular beds and pools of the painting’s numerous walled gardens comprise its strongest visual elements. They are filled with flowers, including lotuses, daffodils and marigolds, that are pleasing to the eye and to the nose. Flowers also decorate the rugs and brocades that furnish the palace.

Accession Number: AKM921