The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Maharaja of Rewa and Sardars

Maharaja of Rewa and Sardars

1886
(Indian, 1844–1905)
India
albumen print
Image: 19.7 x 26.9 cm (7 3/4 x 10 9/16 in.); Paper: 19.7 x 26.9 cm (7 3/4 x 10 9/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2016.266.20
Location: not on view

Description

Deen Dayal uses the arrangement of people and the architecture to point to the most important person in the photograph. Here, the Maharaja of Rewa is placed front and center. “Sardars,” inscribed on the top picture’s mount, refers to the military officials surrounding him. After 1858, British influence dictated that Indian rulers be educated in European history and ideas as well as their local culture and history. In the bottom image, the young maharaja is shown with Indian teachers, but the instructional tools are Western: bound books and a raised relief globe (with Asia visible).
  • 1887 or 1888
    Studio of Raja Deen Dayal, sold to commissioner (identity unknown)
    1970s–2015
    Walter Clode [1929–2022], Pershore, England, sold or consigned to Prahlad Bubbar Indian and Islamic Art, London, England
    2015–16
    (Prahlad Bubbar Indian and Islamic Art, London, England), sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    December 5, 2016–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Raja Deen Dayal: The King of Indian Photographers. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 23, 2023-February 4, 2024).
  • {{cite web|title=Maharaja of Rewa and Sardars|url=false|author=Raja Deen Dayal|year=1886|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.266.20