Pavilion on Lake Pichhola (Jagmandir Island)

In both output and subject matter, painting in Mewar expanded greatly in the first half of the eighteenth century. Although remaining somewhat aloof from their Mughal overlords, the Mewari Rajputs adopted the naturalism and wider scope of Mughal painting, moving beyond an almost exclusive focus on traditional texts. In many paintings, Mewar’s splendid palaces and gardens function as a backdrop for representing the varied activities of the court. By contrast, the gleaming white pavilion and exuberant gardens in this painting are curiously depopulated, yielding an architectural setting as an independent subject. Mixing plan, elevation, and perspective views, this painting depicts a portion of the royal pavilion on Jagmandir Island. A little waterwheel fitted with clay pots hints at the irrigation works necessary to maintain this pleasure palace. Lake Pichola is itself a man-made creation, formed by river damming in 1362.