A Mughal Lady-In-Waiting And The Feathered Messenger

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A white pigeon has flown over to a lady-in-waiting at the Mughal court. She is a gorgeous young creature, spotted by the king's men and brought to court to wait upon the queen. She is dressed in the choicest of Indian silks and jewels, handpicked especially to go with her beauty. No matter the luxury of life at the Mughal court, the woman in the painting is a rustic one at heart. It almost breaks her heart to have been uprooted from her village and placed here, despite the glamour of it all. It is all too new for her to not overwhelm her, so it is in this little feathered messenger that she seeks comfort. He has brought to her a message from her folks, possibly from a lover, back home.

Her hands are whiter than the plumage of her messenger. Her stance is subdued, which merely serves to emphasise how irresistible she is. Ample black curls gathered in a thick bun behind the head, such superbly defined features as if sculpted from marble. The rest of her is firm and shapely, formed in the best proportions of her sex. She is wearing a pastel green choli with a high-waisted peach-and-purple lehenga that sweeps the floors as she walks. A transparent gold-coloured dupatta reveals rather than conceals her torso and head. She is decked up in a plethora of rubies and emeralds, none of which compares to her personal beauty.