Twelve Paintings of Delhi Royalty

Portraits of Mughal royalty, painted on ivory surfaces, were coveted by both the Indian and European elites. Miniature paintings on ivory were a popular art form in the Indian subcontinent. Thin translucent sheets of ivory were roughened and de-greased to make the surface retain paint. They were then bleached in the sun to make them whiter and the colours were made stickier by adding a binding material.