- Title
- Woman Holding a Sparkler, Folio from the Thomas Edwards Album
- Date Made
- circa 1760
- Period
- 18th century
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- 5 3/16 x 4 1/4 in. (13.18 x 10.8 cm)
- Accession Number
- AC1999.127.13
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
Fireworks have long been an important part of many South Asian festivals. In the courts of both Hindu and Muslim rulers, lines of small lamps and torches were placed along the palace terraces, and fireworks were lit to illuminate the night. (For example, see AC1999.127.42.) In this painting, the young woman holding the sparkler conveys the leisure of the courts and the excitement of a holiday.
Because we do not know whether the woman is Hindu or Muslim, this scene may depict either the celebration of the Hindu festival of light, Diwali, or the Islamic celebration of Shab-e Barat or Id-ul-Fitr. Diwali takes place every October or November to commemorate the return of Prince Rama from his fourteen-year exile. According to Muslim belief, Shab-e Barat is the night when God records the actions and events that will take place the following year; Id-ul Fitr signifies the end of the month of fasting that all Muslims annually undertake.
The reverse of the painting is stamped with a Seal of Sir Elijah Impey [1732-1809].
- Selected Bibliography
Catalogue of Persian, Turkish and Arabic Manuscripts, Indian and Persian Miniatures: from the Celebrated Collection formed by Sir Thomas Phillipps Bt. (1792-1872): the Property of the Trustees of the Robinson Trust. London: Sotheby & Co., 1968.
