Harvard Art Museums > 2009.202.249: Portrait of Maharaja Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma of Travancore Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Portrait of Maharaja Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma of Travancore , 2009.202.249,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 02, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/217078. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2009.202.249 Title Portrait of Maharaja Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma of Travancore Classification Paintings Work Type painting Date mid 19th century Places Creation Place: South Asia, India, Southern India Culture Indian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/217078 Physical Descriptions Medium Opaque watercolor on paper Dimensions 35 x 25 cm (13 3/4 x 9 13/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Stuart Cary Welch (by 1983 - 2008,) by descent; to his estate (2008-2009,) gift; to Harvard Art Museum. Notes: Object was part of long-term loan to Museum in 1983. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch Accession Year 2009 Object Number 2009.202.249 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This painting depicts a portrait of Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the Maharaja of Travancore (r. 1846-1860). Commentary Label text from exhibition “Company to Crown: Perceptions and Reactions in British India,” April 8–October 15, 2011, curated by Maliha Noorani, 2009–11 Norma Jean Calderwood Curatorial Fellow, Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art, Harvard Art Museums: The Zamorin of Calicut Southern India, mid-19th century Opaque watercolor on paper Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Gift of Edith I. Welch in memory of Stuart Cary Welch, 2009.202.249 One of the earliest Indian seaports, Calicut cultivated its wealth from the trade in spices, textiles, and hardwood. By the nineteenth century, the chiefs of the city’s ruling house of Tampuran were key players in East Indian trade networks. In this full-figure portrait, the Tampuran ruler Zamorin asserts his affluence and elevated status by surrounding himself with opulent adornments such as the heavily carved marble-mounted chair, velvet drapery, and fine carpets. His gaze extends beyond the viewer. The painting shows a confluence of styles; the artist used both the opaque watercolor that is a traditional Indian medium and the translucent washes favored by Europeans. The variation between thin silks and heavy velvets conveys dimensionality, with an attention to volume and perspective that situates the work within the Crown Era, with its increasing appropriation of European style. Publication History Stuart Cary Welch, Room for Wonder : Indian Painting During the British Period, 1760-1880, exh. cat., American Federation of Arts (New York, NY, 1978), Page 174-175/Figure 77 Manu S. Pillai, False Allies: India's Maharajahs in the Age of Ravi Varma (New Delhi, 2021), opposite p. 276 Exhibition History Re-View: S231 (Islamic rotation: 7) Company to Crown, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/08/2011 - 10/15/2011 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
