Lovers dance in an affectionate embrace, the darkness broken by the illumination of hand-held fireworks. Fireworks have long been very popular in India, especially during Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, which celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. Diwali generally occurs in October or November. The sparks from the fireworks cascading to the ground are ingeniously rendered through the use of reflective gold and silver paint, now tarnished. This painting was probably bound in an album. Imagine viewing it by candlelight: upon turning the page, the sparks would have seemed to actually flicker, bringing the image to life

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