Mahliqa, Daughter of the Emperor of China, Pointing at the Bird-Man Khwaja Mubarak: A Leaf from a Poetical Romance Relating to Shah Alam I (verso); Stenciled Scenes of Lion and Gazelle (verso)

The palette combines gold and jewel tones for the women's attire, while the bird‑man's plumage is rendered in muted earth tones, creating visual hierarchy.

Executed in delicate brushwork on paper, the painting employs fine stenciled motifs of lions and gazelles on the verso, indicating a layered decorative approach. The palette combines gold and jewel tones for the women's attire, while the bird‑man's plumage is rendered in muted earth tones, creating visual hierarchy. Linear perspective is modest, with architectural elements suggesting a stylized, rather than realistic, spatial arrangement.

The piece originates from a poetical romance associated with Shah Alam I, the Mughal emperor of the early 18th century, and was later catalogued by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Its survival as a leaf from a larger illustrated manuscript reflects the practice of separating individual folios for collection and study during the 19th‑century antiquarian market.

Illustrated romances were a popular medium for courtly entertainment in Mughal India, blending Persian literary traditions with local artistic conventions. The inclusion of a Chinese imperial daughter highlights the period’s fascination with distant dynasties, while the bird‑man figure draws on Central Asian folklore, illustrating the cultural syncretism that characterized Mughal visual narratives.