As time, as flowers go by

The British Library holds an album of 68 Mughal flower studies, compiled by Prince Dara Shikoh in 1641-42, which reveals how the Mughal court artists emulated western botanical and zoological studies. The album was presented to his wife, Nadira Banu Begum, whom he married in 1633. The delicate execution of the paintings has led to the album being regarded as a ?treasure? among the library’s vast collections.