The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 29, 2025

Royal Woman Holding a Flower

c. 1670s–80s
gum tempera and gold on paper
Miniature: 19.7 x 10 cm (7 3/4 x 3 15/16 in.)
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.194
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The flowering plants on the ground echo the lush vegetation of the Qur'anic paradise.

Description

Following the model of formal imperial Mughal court portraiture, the artist has lavished care on shading the face of a royal woman and the distinctive qualities of her luxurious textiles. Details have been exquisitely rendered, including the fringe of her pink shawl with its lotus vine border and the sprigs of flowers tucked in her hair.
  • ?–2018
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer, Beverly Hills, CA, partial sale and gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2018–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Mace, Sonia Rhie. “Acquisitions 2018: Indian and Southeast Asian Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 59, no. 2 (March/April 2019): 26–28. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 26
  • Paintings of Bikaner – Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 7, 2019-April 5, 2020).
  • {{cite web|title=Royal Woman Holding a Flower|url=false|author=|year=c. 1670s–80s|access-date=29 April 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.194