A Butterfly folio in Mughal Miniature by Mohan Prajapati

This exquisite Mughal miniature painting by Mohan Prajapati offers a refined naturalist study of two fritillary-type butterflies, set in precise vertical alignment upon a glowing gold leaf field and enclosed within bands of flowing Persian calligraphy, in keeping with the Mughal court's tradition of meticulous flora and fauna documentation.

Mughal miniature paintings are intricate, highly detailed artworks that flourished in India between the 16th and 19th centuries. This courtly art form uniquely blends bold Indian colors, delicate Persian lines, and European shading, capturing a vivid record of the Mughal era.

The upper butterfly is rendered in warm marigold-yellow, its wings densely speckled with small black dots and dashes in the irregular checkerboard pattern typical of a Fritillary (Argynnis species), the scalloped wing edges traced in a deeper golden-orange outline.

Below it sits a more elaborately patterned specimen reminiscent of a Bath White or Orange-tip butterfly, its wings predominantly snow-white at the centre, bordered by bands of maroon, ochre, and vivid orange along the upper wingtips, with a row of small black dots punctuating the lower hindwings and a fine orange-red scalloped trim completing each edge.

Both insects are centred upon the gold leaf ground, framed by a slender ochre-yellow rule. Two bands of dense black nasta'liq script run horizontally above and below the gold panel, with a small numeral-like calligraphic mark inked beneath. The handmade paper is notably aged, with a softly torn left edge, scattered brown foxing, and a visible water stain near the lower left corner, all consistent with the folio's historic character.

24K gold foil is used in this painting.

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All artworks on the website are hand painted from scratch by our master artists. This makes every artwork absolutely unique and the actual colour and overall artwork may vary slightly from the artwork image posted here.