From Victoria Emily Jones, Christianity Today Magazine, December 18, 2023: “Mary sits with her naked son on her lap inside a refined Mughal interior, wearing a brocaded dress, multiple rings on her fingers, and a tilaka mark on her forehead. The identity of the three figures other than the at the center is indeterminate (unlike in the engraving). They may be visitors seeking to pay homage, attendants, relatives, or some mix thereof. The elderly woman with the headscarf and grapes, whom Jesus looks at curiously, may be a midwife or nurse. The flower-bearing person at the back may be an angel."
By an unknown Indian artist, Mughal Dynasty, Adoration of the Christ Child, from the Muraqga of Nana Phadnis, Mughal India, ca. 1620-1630, collection of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
#arthistory #nativity #christmas #painting #indianart #artofindia