A Raja in Armor in Procession Before His Palace

Drawing of warrior on horseback, with 5 attendants and a dog, arriving at a palace. The palace inhabitants are shown on three levels. The drawing is incomplete and some of the graphie under drawing has not been drawn over with ink. The rider and his horse are the most complete figures and have pink watercolor on the clothing, sword and horse’s side and legs. There is yellow gray watercolor shading on the rider and the attendants.

Historical period(s)
ca. 1850
Medium
Ink, graphite, and color on laid paper
Dimensions
H x W: 60.3 x 48.5 cm (23 3/4 x 19 1/8 in)
Geography
India, Punjab
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Murray Lebwohl in honor of Martha Smith
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F2000.11
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Drawing
Type

Drawing

Keywords
battle, dog, horse, India, palace, raja, warrior
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Drawing of warrior on horseback, with 5 attendants and a dog, arriving at a palace. The palace inhabitants are shown on three levels. The drawing is incomplete and some of the graphie under drawing has not been drawn over with ink. The rider and his horse are the most complete figures and have pink watercolor on the clothing, sword and horse's side and legs. There is yellow gray watercolor shading on the rider and the attendants.

Inscription(s)

On the verso: X [in pencil] Done by a Punjabi Native Artist about 1854 or so [in ink; steel nib pen]

------------------#25 [in pencil]

E WM.-- 1

1848 [in pencil]

See drawing of watermark in the acquisition consideration paperwork found in the Object file.

Label

While this drawing exhibits stylistic continuities with the Pahari school paintings (northwest India) produced for Hindu rulers in the 17th through mid-19th century, it depicts a Sikh prince or nobleman. The prince seems to be Raja Dhian Singh (1796-1843) because of similarities in profile and beard length between this drawing and published portraits of the Sikh ruler.

The extent of the shading and the touches of color on the raja's sword suggest that this was intended as a finished drawing, rather than as a preparatory study. The drawing may have been commissioned by an English patron. Its support is a pale blue-gray English laid paper with a Ruse and Turner watermark of 1848 and an inscription on the verso suggests the painting entered an English collection shortly after 1854. In addition to laying down the figures' contours and the basic architectural structure in black ink, the artist delicately shaded the faces and the contours of the male figures in the procession and, to a lesser extent, the faces of the women in the palace. 

The elaborate palace is filled with the idealized heroines who appear in countless court paintings of literary and poetic subjects; their presence creates a romantic backdrop for the procession at the painting's bottom register.

Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use