Portrait of Maharao Ram Singh II of Kotah (r. 1827-66) on horseback, with two attendants

Accession Number
1992/1.118

Title
Portrait of Maharao Ram Singh II of Kotah (r. 1827-66) on horseback, with two attendants

Artist(s)
Artist Unknown, India, Rajasthan, Kotah School

Object Creation Date
circa 1840

Medium & Support
opaque watercolor on paper

Dimensions
13 11/16 in x 9 7/16 in (34.8 cm x 23.9 cm);13 11/16 in x 9 7/16 in (34.8 cm x 23.9 cm);22 1/8 in x 18 1/8 in (56.2 cm x 46.04 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink in honor of Mrs. James Marshall Plumer on the occasion of her ninetieth birthday

Label copy
March 28, 2009
Ram Singh II of Kota (ruled 1827–1866) was the last great patron of Indian miniature painting. With the rise of the British Raj, most native princes adopted the Eurocentric fashion for photography and oil painting. Ram Singh, by contrast, retained his court atelier and used painting to record his often eccentric activities: one painting even depicts him shooting a tiger while making love.
This colored drawing shows Ram Singh on horseback in idealized form, dwarfing two miniaturized attendants. The drawing may quote depictions of a curious episode of 1850, in which the Maharao rode a horse upon the roof of his palace. Following the performance, he held a special assembly in a room decorated exclusively in pink, at which guests were asked to don pink clothing and turbans as well.
(Label for UMMA South and Southest Asia Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)

; Label copy
Anonymous
Portrait of Maharao Ram Singh II of Kotah (r. 1827–66)
on horseback, with two attendants
India, Rajasthan, Kotah school
ca. 1840
Opaque watercolor on paper
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink, in honor of Mrs. James
Marshall Plumer on the occasion of her ninetieth birthday, 1992/1.118

Subject matter
Ram Singh II of Kota (ruled. 1827-66) was the last great patron of Indian miniature painting. With the rise of the British Raj, most native princes adopted the Eurocentric fashion for photography and oil painting. Ram Singh, by contrast, retained his court atelier and used painting to record his often eccentric activities: one painting depicts him shooting a tiger while making love.
This colored drawing shows Ram Singh on horseback in idealized form, dwarfing two miniaturized attendants. The drawing may quote depictions of a curious episode of 1850, in which the Maharao rode a horse upon the roof of his palace. Following the performance, he held a special assembly in a room decked out exclusively in pink (guests too were asked to don pink clothing and turbans).

Physical Description
Image of a man on horseback with two men flanking him

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
portrait

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
horses
horses (equipment)
portraits
prince

& Author Notes

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