Cleveland Museum of Art

Princess smoking a hookah

Date

c. 1760

Medium

gum tempera, ink, gold, and beetle-wing carapaces on paper

Culture

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

A lady seated at window smokes a hookah. She wears a translucent lilac blouse and gold trousers and adorns herself with jewelry comprising pearls, gold, and emeralds. Reclining against a large bolster, she is engrossed in smoking her hookah made of gold and porcelain. The painting may have been intended to be presented to the king by the artist. The artist has used beetle wings for emeralds in the jewelry.

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