Collection Online as of June 4, 2023

Maharaja Abhai Singh of Marwar (reigned 1724–49), Equestrian, Watching Girls Swinging at the Teej Festival

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Marwar region, Rajput kingdom of Jodhpur, court of Abhai Singh

(reigned 1702–49)

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Painting: 29.9 x 19.4 cm (11 3/4 x 7 5/8 in.)

Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.197

Location

230 Photography

Fun Fact

A group of horses can be seen bathing in the pond.

Description

The festival of Teej is celebrated primarily by women in northern India and Nepal. The women sing and dance to welcome the monsoon season and observe fasts for the long life of their husbands. In the painting, two women can be seen playfully swinging on a tree branch while a group of women cheer for them.

Inscriptions

Inscription

16. mārāja śrī abhai siṃgha jī

Inscription Translation

[Number] 16. Maharaja Abhai Singh Ji

Provenance

?–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

Exhibition history

Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 10, 2018-April 7, 2019).

Raja Deen Dayal: The King of Indian Photographers. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 23-August 13, 2023).