Maharao Ram Singh II of Kota (r. 1828–66) Worships Brij Nathji as the Bridegroom

c. 1830s

Maharao Ram Singh II of Kota (r. 1828–66) Worships Brij Nathji as the Bridegroom, c. 1830s. Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Kota. Gum tempera and gold on paper; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.181 Shri Nathji, the dark stone sculpture carved in high relief with its monolithic stele is here shown sumptuously dressed, wearing the square headdress of a bridegroom. His long tuft of hair, braided with flowers, swings to one side, while the end of his stole swings to the other, imparting joyous vitality and dynamism. The ruler of Kota, worshipping Shri Nathji at the left, is identifiable by his distinctive muttonchops.