The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 20, 2024
Portrait of Raja Ram Singh of Amber (r. 1667-1688) with a Deccan Sword (recto)
c. 1680–85
Page: 30.4 x 18.5 cm (11 15/16 x 7 5/16 in.)
Location: not on view
Description
The sensitive, naturalistic rendering of weariness and forbearance in the face belies the trappings of favor bestowed on Ram Singh by the Mughal emperors Shah Jahan and Alamgir, whom he served as courtier and general between 1643 and 1688. He was a Hindu ruler from the kingdom of Amber in Rajasthan, under the control of the Mughal empire. Spending most of his life at the imperial court or leading military expeditions for the Mughals, this portrait was included in a Mughal album and inscribed with an Urdu verse indicating his value to the empire: "wherever he has led an expedition, victory is his." He wears a sumptuous coat of honor with a fur collar, woven with gold threads and floral sprigs and costly rubies, emeralds, and pearls. The straight sword with enameled hilt may be the one gifted to him by the emperor upon his succession to the throne as king of Amber in 1667. His long history of service at the imperial court, however, was checkered with troubles, including his allegiances with failed successors of Shah Jahan and the escape of the rebel Shivaji under his watch.- ?-September 1967(Maggs Brothers, London, UK, Bulletin No. 12, September 1967, no. 11, sold to Ralph Benkaim)September 1967-2013Ralph Benkaim [1914-2001] and Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art2013-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- 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.Branfoot, Crispin, ed. Portraiture in South Asia Since the Mughals: Art, Representation and History. London; New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 2018. Reproduced: pl. 11
- Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 2, 2014-January 5, 2015).Art of the Indian Subcontinent from Los Angeles Collections. University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (March 4-31, 1968).
- {{cite web|title=Portrait of Raja Ram Singh of Amber (r. 1667-1688) with a Deccan Sword (recto)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1680–85|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.330.a