Cleveland Museum of Art

Maharana Ari Singh II of Mewar (r. 1761–73) with His Consort on a Terrace

Date: c. 1761
Medium: Gum tempera and gold on paper
Culture: Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Mewar
Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

The ruler with his golden nimbus strolls with his beloved hand-in-hand on a white marble terrace. Soon, the couple will have enjoyed the hookah on the carpet and the raja will have laid down his sword and shield and retired with his consort to the golden chamber and drawn the curtains for privacy. The chamber sits at a precarious tilt, suggesting vigorous love-play within. The garden below is full of row upon row of red poppies, suggesting the intoxicating heat of summer and the pleasures of opium.

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