Behind the parapet, an extravagantly dressed Indian woman pensively contemplates a single bloom. Her gaze at the flower mirrors our gaze at her. Although obviously meant to be Indian, her features are curiously close to Chinese. Reverse-glass paintings are made by layering pigments in the reverse order of the normal procedure when painting – highlights first, then mid-layers, and finally base colours. The final product is viewed in reverse from the opposite side of the glass, and this must be taken into account when painting.
