Palace Scene (painting, recto; painting, verso), illustration from a Ramayana series

The painting depicts a palatial scene. At the entrance of the palace are two large elephants with their drivers (mahouts), and three horses, two of which the riders can be seen. Two attendants flank the entrance on each side. Two other men approach the entrance from the other side, under an orange awning. At the top of the structure are two male musicians, one playing drums and the other a wind instrument, as well as two women. In the top right corner are two cow herders with their cows. Interestingly, there is no indication of a royal figure, particularly a king, present. This double-sided folio possibly belongs to a Ramayana manuscript produced in Sirohi. Other folios from the same manuscript in the Harvard Art Museums’ collections are 1973.164, 1973.165, 1973.166.B, 1973.167, 1973.168.A, 1973.168.B, 1973.169, 1973.170.A, 1973.170.B, 1973.171. Rajput, Rajasthani, Sirohi School.