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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1995.131
Title
Maharaja Ajit Singh of Marwar and Sons during the Festival of Diwali
Classification
Paintings
Work Type
painting
Date
1722
Places
Creation Place: South Asia, India, Rajasthan, Jodhpur
Culture
Indian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/310520

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
sight: 33.8 x 25.3 cm (13 5/16 x 9 15/16 in.)
framed: 57.47 x 43.5 x 2.22 cm (22 5/8 x 17 1/8 x 7/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: in Hindi on reverse, name of the ruler, his five sons and the date 1779 VS or 1722 AD.
  • inscription: Language: Hindi
    Script:
    Maharaji Shri Ajit Singh Ajmer Laktham Diwali
    Kumar Shri Abhai Singh
    Kumar Shri Bakhat Singh
    Kumar Shri Anand Singh
    Kumar Shri Kesor Singh
    Kumar Shri Raj Singh
    Date: 1779 VS (1722 AD)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift in gratitude to John Coolidge, Gift of Leslie Cheek, Jr., Anonymous Fund in memory of Henry Berg, Louise Haskell Daly, Alpheus Hyatt, Richard Norton Memorial Funds and through the generosity of Albert H. Gordon and Emily Rauh Pulitzer; formerly in the collection of Stuart Cary Welch, Jr.
Accession Year
1995
Object Number
1995.131
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The painting depicts Maharaja Ajit Singh of Marwar (r. 1679-1724) enthroned. He wears a gold robe (jama) and is bedecked with jewelry. He wears an ornamented turban with a large black plume, which denotes his royal status. Behind him are three attendants, two of whom carry a flywhisk and a peacock fan. In front of the Maharaja are his five sons, seated in a row, by their birth order.They are identified by inscriptions; beginning at the top, they are: Abhai, Bakhat, Anand, Kesor, and Raj. The princes all wear gold robes and turbans and are adorned with jewelry. According to the inscription, the painting shows the royal family on the day of the Hindu festival of Diwali. Rajput Style, Marwar School.

Publication History

  • Debra Diamond, Catherine Glynn, and Karni Singh Jasol, Garden & Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur, exh. cat., British Museum Press (London, UK, 2009), pp. 66-67, cat. no. 8; p. 298, ill.

Exhibition History

  • Rajasthani Miniatures: The Welch Collection at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University, The Drawing Center, New York, 04/16/1997 - 06/07/1997
  • Garden and Cosmos: Painting from Jodhpur, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, 10/11/2008 - 01/04/2009

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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