The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2023

A royal ram with a gold chain

c. 1585; border added probably 1700s

India, Mughal

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.298

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Sheep with black and white markings like this are called Jacob sheep.

Description

The ram in this painting is a particularly well-groomed animal that was probably kept in the royal menagerie and attended to by special keepers. The puffs of hair on the ram’s back have been colored with henna, and he wears a decorative chain of bells across his chest. The Mughal rulers collected and exhibited specimens of various animals from their territories out of a scientific interest as well as a desire to display the extent of their influence over the land and its inhabitants.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Urdu inscription at top, in nasta‘liq script: sheep; Hindi inscription under left corner of painting, in devanagari script: Shri 6; Hindi inscription below painting, in devanagari script: 2, sheep; Hindi inscription, bottom center, in devanagari script: 674

Exhibition history

Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245); January 5, 2015 - April 27, 2015.

The Cleveland Museum of Art (7/31/2016-10/23/2016); Art and Stories from Mughal India, cat. 12, p. 193.

Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.298