Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of Maharaja Rai Singh of Bikaner (reigned 1574–1612)

Date

c. 1610

Medium

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Culture

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Bikaner

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The portly Rajput king wears a long, belted tunic tied under the left arm—the custom of most Hindus. His berry-hued garments stand in pleasing contrast against the teal green background that references the lushness of paradise. Though the artist is unidentified, the naturalistic sensitivity of the portrait and delicacy of the garments imply the work of a master court painter, probably following a model by Nur Muhammad. Rai Singh had an illustrious career serving his overlord the Mughal emperor Akbar (reigned 1556–1605), and his daughter was married to Akbar’s son, Jahangir (reigned 1605–27). This painting is based on a drawing also in the CMA collection (1987.1100).

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