The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 4, 2023

A female figure standing in a landscape holding a four-stringed “khuuchir” and a lotus

c. 1590

Mughal India, court of Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Page: 31.6 x 20.7 cm (12 7/16 x 8 1/8 in.)

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 2013.311

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

The four strings of the woman’s khuuchir would have been made from silk.

Description

With flowers and leaves elegantly arrayed in her hair and with a lotus in her hand, the central figure embodies the fecundity of nature. Her stylized garments recall European classical figures, and her accoutrements, like the musical instrument in her right hand, evoke imagery of Indian goddesses. Surrounded by a rocky landscape, with a city in the distance, she brings a splash of color to the otherwise monochromatic environment, causing flora to blossom.

Inscriptions

Inscription

[verso, upper left, sticker] 1027

Inscription

[verso, right of sticker, in pencil] 24

Inscription

[verso, upper center, in pencil, upside down] VI

Provenance
24 April 1996
Sotheby’s, London, Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, lot 40
–2013
Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Ralph Benkaim Collection
2013–
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Mace, Sonya Rhie. Mughal Paintings: Art and Stories: The Cleveland Museum of Art. London: D. Giles Limited, 2016. Reproduced and mentioned: p. 200, figure 4.60, pp. 312-13, cat. no. 16.
Exhibition history

The Cleveland Museum of Art (7/31/2016-10/23/2016); Art and Stories from Mughal India, cat. 16, p. 200.

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.311