In the present painting, a young princes gazes out of her rectangular jarokha, or window. Her body is ornamented with strings of pearls, emeralds and rubies, with only sheer cloths comprising her dress. A richly gilt, woven carpet is draped over the parapet, and another hangs above her as a window dressing.
The jarokha view portrait format had been popular in the Mughal Empire since as early the reign of Jahangir (r. 1605-27). The composition signifies an exalted status, the sitter being elevated and set apart of the masses. While largely associated with Mughal portraiture, the jarokha format was in fact inspired by European motifs. Inconsistently, open view windows such as the present jarokha were totally unlike the lattice light openings common to Mughal palaces. European images, such as Bellini’s portrait of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II gazing out of a window with rich carpet hangings, made their way into the Imperial Mughal collections as engravings. The iconography was briskly seized upon and incorporated in countless Mughal portraits for centuries to come.
For a fascinating investigation into the origins of the jarokha portrait format, see J.P. Losty : ‘The Carpet at the Window: a European Motif in the Mughal Jharokha Portrait’ in Indian Painting: Themes, History and Interpretations; Essays in Honour of B.N. Goswamy, ed. M. Sharma and P. Kaimal, Mapin Publishing, Ahmedabad, 2013, pp. 52-64.