A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur

Special Exhibition

Sunday, June 11–Sunday, September 10, 2023

Location: 004 Special Exhibition Gallery
The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Gallery

Featured Art

About The Exhibition

Around 1700, artists in Udaipur (a court in northwest India) began creating immersive paintings that convey the mood (bhava) of the city’s palaces, lakes, and mountains. These large paintings and their emphasis on lived experience have never been the focus of an exhibition.

With dazzling paintings on paper and cloth—many on public view for the first time—A Splendid Land reveals how artists visualized emotions, depicted places, celebrated water resources, and fostered personal bonds over 200 years in the rapidly changing political and cultural landscapes of early modern South Asia.

The exhibition is organized as a journey that begins at Udaipur’s center and continues outward: first to the city, then to the countryside, and finally to the cosmos.

This exhibition has been cocurated by Debra Diamond, the Elizabeth Moynihan Curator for South and Southeast Asian Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, and Dipti Khera, associate professor, Department of Art History and Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.

CMA Store

A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur

Edited by Debra Diamond and Dipti Khera How and why did painters center sensory experience, enchanting emotions, and cultural landscapes in South Asia? A Splendid Land is the first book to address this question through dazzling paintings made over a period of two hundred years that extends from Mughal to colonial India. The works have never been published or exhibited in the United States.Around 1700, artists in Udaipur began creating large, immersive paintings to convey the mood (bhava) of the city’s palaces, lakes, and mountains. "A Splendid Land" explores how painters depicted places, mapped terrains and triggered memories to foster political and personal attachments to land. By examining social networks, ecological relations, and pleasurable pursuits, and by drawing upon previously untranslated sources and engaging with the history of the senses, the catalogue opens early modern art history to new interpretative possibilities. 400 pages, with approximately 150 full-color illustrations Published 2022

Tales of a Parrot | Artisan Tray

Posthumous portrait of Emperor Jahangir under a canopy, c1670Drawing of Elephant, c1700; text from Tales of a Parrot Unique design created by Jill R Hjelm Trays are sealed on all sides with a high gloss or matt finish.Use them as decorative trays or hang them on the wall; either way these storied, whimsical designs will enhance any home! Wipe with damp cloth to clean. Tray, black outer edges with gold top, gloss finish Size: 16” x 12” x 2”

The Cleveland Museum of Art: Art Spaces

This fully illustrated book presents a brief view of the museum’s recent renovations and additions by famed architect Rafael VinÞoly. Confronted with the need to address facility concerns, devise more gallery space, and connect the various pre-existing styles from earlier additions, VinÞoly designs an architectural masterpiece by using a scheme of various spaces and architectural elements, all united by a soaring glass-roofed atrium to harmonize the museums architecture. 64 pages Published 2013

Art: The Definitive Visual History

by Andrew Graham Dixon Discover more than 2,500 of the world’s most influential paintings and sculptures in this beautifully- illustrated guide to the history of art. Introducing Art: The Definitive Visual Guide – an invaluable reference book that spans 30,000 years of global art history, from cave paintings to contemporary art, and showcases the works of over 700 artists in striking detail to truly bring the artwork to life. Each artistic movement, from the Italian Renaissance to Impressionism to Graffiti Art, is explained in clear detail with descriptions of their origins and influences, characteristic styles and techniques, and typical subjects.A visual timeline of key works gives an overview of the scope of each major movement, while graphics, overlays, and detailed close-ups, show readers how to "read" composition and subject matter, and explain the specifics of the techniques and methods the artist used to create their masterpieces.Explore the pages of this awe-inspiring art history book to discover: - Over 2500 of the world’s most influential paintings and sculptures- Features stunning artwork from more than 700 artists- ‘Closer Look’ sections offer a detailed analysis of key paintings The 6 core chapters are structured chronologically, starting with prehistoric art and ancient civilizations, right the way up until modern-day artwork, so there’s something for everyone to explore, learn and love. From Romanticism in the 19th Century to Realism in the 20th Century, whether it’s Pop Art or Expressionism, Minimalism and so much more – the beautiful full-color illustrations and striking imagery, make this art book the perfect gift for the art and history lover in your life, as well as an ideal coffee table book.Doubling up as a riveting reference book for anyone with an interest in art history who wants to gain a broader knowledge of the subject, as well as the perfect classroom companion in schools, libraries and more. Created in collaboration with Bridgeman, the biggest art library in the world, Art: The Definitive Visual Guide is a must-have for your bookshelf. 612 pages, Hardcover Published 2018

Sponsors

A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur is organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, in collaboration with the City Palace Museum, Udaipur, administered by the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation.

The National Museum of Asian Art gratefully acknowledges support from exhibition cochairs Farhad and Mary Ebrahimi and Dr. Vijay and Ms. Nanda Anand, along with members of the A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur Leadership Council.

The Cleveland Museum of Art’s presentation of A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur is made possible with principal support from Raj and Karen Aggarwal. Additional support is provided by Anne T. and Donald F. Palmer.

All exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art are underwritten by the CMA Fund for Exhibitions. Principal annual support is provided by Michael Frank and the late Pat Snyder and by the late Roy L. Williams. Major annual support is provided by the Womens Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Generous annual support is provided by an anonymous supporter, the late Dick Blum and Harriet Warm, Gary and Katy Brahler, Cynthia and Dale Brogan, Dr. Ben and Julia Brouhard, Brenda and Marshall Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Walter R. Chapman Jr., Richard and Dian Disantis, the Jeffery Wallace Ellis Trust in memory of Lloyd H. Ellis Jr., Leigh and Andy Fabens, the Frankino-Dodero Family Fund for Exhibitions Endowment, Janice Hammond and Edward Hemmelgarn, Carl T. Jagatich, Cathy Lincoln, Eva and Rudolf Linnebach, William S. and Margaret F. Lipscomb, Bill and Joyce Litzler, Carl and Lu Anne Morrison, Jeffrey Mostade and Eric Nilson and Varun Shetty, Tim O’Brien and Breck Platner, William J. and Katherine T. O’Neill, Henry Ott-Hansen, the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation, and Margaret and Loyal Wilson.