The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 14, 2024

Raja Gulab Singh

Raja Gulab Singh

c. 1830–40
Overall: 19.8 x 13.8 cm (7 13/16 x 5 7/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Description

Gulab Singh (1792-1857) was a powerful ruler of the Sikhs, members of a monotheistic religion founded by Guru Nanak (1469-1539) in the northern Indian region of the Punjab. Often in conflict with the Mughals, they rejected the more naturalistic Mughal portrait styles. Sikh rulers in the Punjab and the neighboring Himalayan foothill region of Jammu adopted the mode of courtly portraiture that was current among the Rajputs, who were rulers of Hindu regions and principalities of northern and western India. The umbrella held over his head is a millennia-old marker of royalty, and beginning in the 1700s, the hookah was an emblem of power among the Rajputs.
  • ?-1925
    Ananda K. Coomaraswamy [1877-1947] sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1925-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. cat. no. 138
  • Indian Gallery 242 Rotation – April-November 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 10-November 6, 2017).
    Oriental Art. Berea College, Berea, KY (organizer) (November 1-December 1, 1962).
  • {{cite web|title=Raja Gulab Singh|url=false|author=|year=c. 1830–40|access-date=14 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1925.1338