Persian Lady, Philip Connard, Oil on Canvas

A companion piece to the portrait of Nizami, the Persian lady is represented standing amidst a
minimalist landscape. The crown on the head imbues a royal status to her persona. With both her hands folded, an ornate vessel is held in her right hand, while she looks away from the observer. A tree with a thick trunk and leaves in fresh green forms focus on the background. The expansive sky in shades of fresh blue with white clouds provides a calmness to the pictorial. This imparts prominence to the form of the Persian lady occupying the foreground in her subtle charm and elegance.

Layla S Diba in her essay discusses the two couplets in Persian inscribed in gold under each of the portraits, i.e. of Nizami and the Persian lady and mentions that these refer to the construction and decoration of a magnificent Chinese palace, which can be seen as a metaphor for the Ashoka Hall.

Portfolio Name: Paintings in the Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan
Source: Lalit Kala Akademi