USTAD MANSUR (ACTIVE C. 1600-20)
A chameleon
1612RCIN 912081
Mansur was the leading natural history painter at the Mughal court in the seventeenth century. His tiny dots of green paint mimic the surface of the chameleon’s skin. On very close inspection, a gold crescent is visible in the reptile’s eye, creating a glint as it gazes at the hovering insect.