The Butterfly Study in Mughal Miniature by Mohan Prajapati

This finely rendered Mughal miniature painting by Mohan Prajapati depicts a paired study of two ornately patterned butterflies, set against a richly burnished gold leaf backdrop and bordered by elegant lines of Persianate script, reflecting the Mughal court's enduring fascination with documenting the natural world in precise, jewel-like detail.

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 specimen, painted in warm coral-orange, displays four large, theatrical eyespots, two upon the forewings rendered in concentric rings of white, black, and pale pink, and two smaller ones on the hindwings circled in crisp black and white, evoking the dramatic markings of a Peacock Pansy (Junonia almana).

Beneath it, a striking sky-blue butterfly spreads its wings wide, the brilliant blue ground deepening toward the wing margins into a russet-orange and brown scalloped border flecked with small black dots, its body and antennae finely outlined in black, recalling the iridescent character of a Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya). Both butterflies are positioned with mathematical symmetry along the vertical axis of the gold leaf panel, which is bordered by a thin ochre-yellow line.

Two horizontal bands of black Persian nasta'liq calligraphy frame the image above and below, with a single small inscription, Daryabeg, inked beneath the lower text band. The aged paper shows soft brown foxing stains, a visible vertical crease, and naturally worn, deckled edges, characteristic of an authentic historical folio.

24K gold foil is used in this painting.

Each of our artworks are hand painted by master artists across India. We provide a digital authentication certificate with this artwork signed by the artist which will be sent over email after 3-4 days of delivery of the artwork.

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Additonal Shipping Charges

Extra charges may be applicable for both domestic and international deliveries in the following cases:

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• Artworks where shorter side exceeds 36 inches or Decor items with any side over 35 inches.
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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.