Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of a man

Date

late 1700s

Medium

Gum tempera on paper

Culture

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Before creating final paintings, Pahari artists made drawings in order to perfect portraits or expressions. The curling side lock indicates that he is an unmarried youth with just the beginnings of a moustache. Areas of white paint around the outline of the face effectively erase prior attempts at drawing his profile. The artist used the same white paint to highlight the eyes, turban, and garment. This drawing was once owned by William E. Ward, the CMA’s chief designer from 1957 to 1993, who taught Calligraphy and Watercolor at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.