Rao Ram Chandra of Bedla on a swing

Maker(s)
Artist: Attributed to Shahji
Historical period(s)
ca. 1740s
School
Mewar school
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (painting): 32.4 × 22.3 cm (12 3/4 × 8 3/4 in)
Geography
India, Rajasthan state, Mewar
Credit Line
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S2018.1.24
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Painting

Keywords
attendant, India, man, night, Ralph and Catherine Benkaim collection, woman
Provenance

To 1969
Indian Arts Palace, New Delhi [1]

From 1969 to 2001
Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Indian Arts Palace, New Delhi in November 1969 [2]

From 2001 to 2018
Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, by inheritance from Ralph Benkaim in 2001

From 2018
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim

[1] Ralph Benkaim purchased the painting from Indian Arts Palace, New Delhi in November 1969, several years before Indian paintings were classified as antiquities by the Indian government, according to Ralph Benkaim’s personal records, as relayed by Catherine Glynn Benkaim.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Indian Arts Palace
Ralph (1914-2001) and Catherine Benkaim
Catherine Glynn Benkaim

Label

An inscription in the upper margin in nagari identifies the subject as Rao Sri Ram Chand, ruler of the thikana of Bedla, which was part of the Mewar kingdom. On a canopied swing, the nobleman sits with his arm affectionately draped across his consorts shoulders and holding her hand. It is night, the jewelry and gold-embrodiered garments of Ramchand and his attendants gleam against the dark garden setting.

The painting is very much in the style of Amar Singh II (r. 1698-1710) painting, with whom Rao Ramchand was intimately connected as his daughter, Maharani Dev Kunwar, had married the Mewar ruler.

Published References
  • Stuart Cary Welch, Mark Zebrowski. A Flower from Every Meadow: Indian Paintings from American Collections. Exh. cat. New York, Spring 1973. 9, 30.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
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