Botanical study of a carnation

By the time of Shah Jahan flowers had become an important painting genre as well as providing the primary motifs in Mughal decorative art. These album studies [LI118.70, LI118.71, LI118.72] show the sensitivity of Mughal botanical painters in interpreting their subjects. The geranium [LI118.70] and dianthus (carnation) [LI118.71] are well observed, with near-symmetrical arrangements of flower-heads or buds. The third study [LI118.72] is an elegant composite plant, with flowers and leaves that do not match. Its flowers are shown opening in stages, from bud to full-blown.

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