Portrait Miniature of an Indian Courtesan, 1830-1850. English artists visited India to paint both large-scale and miniature portraits of those serving abroad as mementos for friends and families back in the Mother Country. They introduced the European technique of painting in watercolours on ivory to the local artists. In this instance, an artist from Delhi has portrayed a courtesan dressed as a princess wearing elaborate Mughal gold and gem-set jewelry.