The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

A prince visiting a holy man in a rocky landscape

A prince visiting a holy man in a rocky landscape

c. 1590
Location: not on view

Description

A recurring theme in the art of India is the relationship between rulers and the religious practitioners who were believed to control supernatural forces that would aid in the success of rule and war. A prince has come to the abode of a Sufi mystic dervish, who sits with two acolytes in front of a rocky cave that may be his dwelling. The dervish appears to be blessing the prince and the weapons carried by his retinue to help assure success in an upcoming battle. In the foreground, a princely figure leading a horse meets surreptitiously with an eccentric figure holding a squat vessel, possibly filled with a narcotic substance such as bhang, used by many groups of mystics to aid in reaching trance states.
  • (Heeramaneck Collection, New York, NY)
    The Pan-Asian Collection, New York, NY
    Robert Ellsworth [1929–2014], New York, NY
    June 20, 1983
    (Sotheby’s, London, Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, 20 June 1983, lot 65, sold to Ralph and Catherine Benkaim)
    1983–2001
    Ralph [1914–2001] and Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA, by descent to his wife, Catherine Benkaim
    2001–2013
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2013–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Sotheby's London. Fine Oriental Miniatures and Manuscripts. 20 June 1983.
    Heeramaneck, Alice N. Masterpieces of Indian Painting: From the Former Collections of Nasli M. Heeramaneck. [Place of publication not identified]: A.N. Heeramaneck, 1984. cat. no. 168
    Mace, Sonya Rhie, Mohsen Ashtiany, Catherine Glynn, Pedro Moura Carvalho, Marcus Fraser, and Ruby Lal. Mughal Paintings: Art and Stories: the Cleveland Museum of Art. London: D Giles Limited, 2016. cat. 27, p. 195
  • Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 2, 2014-January 5, 2015).
  • {{cite web|title=A prince visiting a holy man in a rocky landscape|url=false|author=|year=c. 1590|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.302