Portrait of Raja Ram Singh of Amber (r. 1667-1688) with a Deccan Sword (recto); Calligraphy (verso)

c. 1680–1685

Maker Unknown

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Portrait of Raja Ram Singh of Amber (r. 1667-1688) with a Deccan Sword (recto); Calligraphy (verso), c. 1680–1685. India, Mughal court, 17th century. Opaque watercolor on paper; page: 30.4 x 18.5 cm (11 15/16 x 7 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.330

Original Source

Maker/Artist: Maker Unknown
Classification: Painting
Formatted Medium: Opaque watercolor on paper
Medium: opaque, watercolor, paper
Dimensions: Page: 30.4 x 18.5 cm (11 15/16 x 7 5/16 in.)
Inscribed: Inscription: verso: Deccani Urdu (Karnati) lyrics in nasta‘liq script: “Bhairava” has a camphor-like fair complexion with [young] moon on the forehead and three eyes and with the crown of the matted locks over which the Ganges sparkles. In the one hand he has a human skull, and in the other a trident. His vehicle is a bull, and his body is white (besmeared with ashes). He has the skin of an elephant and of a lion on his back and carries ornaments provided by snakes and sits under the shade of the heavenly wish-fulfilling tree [kalpavriksha]. A white beautiful woman is playing upon a drum [mridanga] at a place beyond Kailash mountains. These, says Ibrahim, are the features of the most charming and excellent Raga Bhairava. (after Kitab-i Nauras Ahmad 1956, 98–99, 130)
Departments: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Accession Number: 2013.330
Credit Line: Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
Exhibitions: <em>Art of the Indian Subcontinent from Los Angeles Collections</em>. University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (March 4-31, 1968)., <em>Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245)</em>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 2, 2014-January 5, 2015).,
Rights Statement: CC0