Miniature painting in the 18th century Mughal court experienced renewed patronage under Muhammad Shah, even though the political climate lacked stability. Paintings of this period often reflect melancholic or romantic themesfrom contemporary poetry. Here, a simple composition is rendered with beautiful surface detail in the architecture and figures. The faces are blank,so it is left to gesture to impart meaning. The composition and attention to detail reference Mughal painting, rooted in the present but increasingly concerned with its own past.