Maharana Sangram Singh hunting

Historical period(s)
Sisodia dynasty, Reign of Maharana Sangram Singh, 1720-1730
Movement
Mewar Court
School
Rajput School
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 67.5 x 83.9 cm (26 9/16 x 33 1/16 in)
Geography
India, Mewar, Rajasthan state, Udaipur
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1992.28
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Painting

Keywords
falcon, falconry, hunting, India, portrait, Sisodia dynasty (861 - 1947)
Provenance

The Maharana of Udaipur [1]

To 1992
Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New City, to 1992

From 1992
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. in 1992

Notes:

[1] This object is part of a group of paintings sold by the Maharana of Udaipur and viewed in Switzerland in 1972. Two additional works in this group were previously acquired by the Freer Gallery with a letter from Douglas Barrett, former Keeper of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum, attesting to their presence in Switzerland in 1972 (see Curatorial Note 5, Milo C. Beach, in the object record).

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd.

Label

While most royal portraits interweave the king's role with his physical appearance, this painting unravels the equivalence of the king, the body politic, and the kingdom. Distinguished by a gold halo and riding a dark horse, Sangram Singh enacts ideal kingship by demonstrating his hunting prowess in the midst of his realm. Multiple images of the ruler, his companions, his falcons, and the unfortunate heron capture the hunt's minute-by-minute action as does their zig-zag process across the landscape. To be clearly recognizable, all are depicted as if seen from straight on.

The details of the hunt-its courtiers and servants, a tented palanquin signifying the presence of a court lady, a village and its temples, the tilled fields and low hills--all contribute to the portrayal of the ruler as the embodiment and cause of his flourishing kingdom.

Published References
  • Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur. Exh. cat. Munich, 2022. .
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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