Lady at her Toilette with a Servant
18th century
Medium
Pencil on paper
Dimensions
H. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm) W. 2 13/16 in. (7.2 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Anonymous Gift, 1974
Accession Number
1974.370.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the tranquil intimacy of an 18th-century Islamic scene, Haydar Ahmad's *Lady at her Toilette with a Servant* captures a of refined daily life. Rendered in pencil on paper, this delicate drawing measures just 3 7/8 by 2 13/16 inches, suggesting it originated as a folio from aex or album—a common format in Persian or Ottoman artistic traditions. The artist deftly employs fine pencil lines to evoke textures of fabric, skin, and furnishings, highlighting the lady's grooming routine attended by her servant. This work, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art department, offers rar...