[The Prince Encounters a Village Girl at a Well],

Scenes painted around imagined amorous encounters between the 'prince and village girl' were popular among artists during the late Mughal period in centres such as Delhi, Lucknow, and Murshidabad. The concept of 'love at first sight' was similarly echoed in the tradition of the courtly poets of the pan-European middle ages and can be seen echoed through their visual arts.

The inspiration behind the theme in this painting was likely rooted in Persian literary sources, the Nayrang'i Eshq (The Charm of Love) by Mughal Sufi poet Ghanimat Kunjahi (d. 1695 AD), being one such example. Written during a period of considerable Muslim-Hindu cultural interaction, the poem was later absorbed into Sanskrit works and grew further in popularity. One notable section of the poem (stanza 40.7) describes how in pursuit of a stag, Shahid comes upon a village where he is struck by the sight of village girls at a well and is particularly struck by the beauty of Wafa, the daughter of the village headsman (see C. Shackle, Persian Poetry and Qādirī Sufism in Later Mughal India: Ghanīmat Kunjāhī and his Mathnawī-yi Nayrang-i 'ishq, in The Heritage of Sufism: Volume 3, Late Classical Persianate Sufism, Boston, 1999).

In this painting, a beautiful maiden leans across to offer the handsome stranger a drink from the well. Neither appears abashed, and their eyes fix upon each other as if a spell has been cast. Of note is the way their hands come together around the vessel of water, though they do not touch. The mono green background gives a prominence to this encounter, watched by the other village girls. There are subtle details that give context to the scene – the stranger's courtly attire and jewelled ruby dagger. His companion's falcon hints at their noble status. By contrast, the village girl's sari is tied in the style of a working women as she draws water from the well. For notable examples, see Indian Painting 1600–1870 (Oliver Forge & Brendon Lynch, New York, 2012) and Painting 91 in Domains of Wonder (B.N Goswamy & C. Smith, 2006).

Single miniature painting on card, opaque pigments with gold, depicting a scene with a Prince on horseback accepting a drink from a gold vessel from a village maiden, miniature 282 x 179 mm, full album page 394 x 255 mm; painting framed within multiple gilt rulings, innermost frame painted with delicate pink and white flowers on a spiralling green vine set against a richly gilt background, some very minor surface soiling, overall in exceptionally bright and attractive condition, framed and glazed.