The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Raja Bikram Singh of Guler smoking a hookah

c. 1678–90

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms, Himachal Pradesh

gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Page: 21.7 x 28.8 cm (8 9/16 x 11 5/16 in.); Image: 17.2 x 24.4 cm (6 3/4 x 9 5/8 in.)
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.89
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Raja Bikram Singh was famed for his physical strength and could break a coconut into pieces with his fingers

Description

The portrait of Raja Bikram Singh is the earliest depiction of a Guler chief and was produced in Chamba, possibly under the patronage of Raja Chattar Singh (r. 1664–90). The painting bears several features of early portraiture in Chamba—a straight Hookah pipe, striped trousers, large bolsters, and the sitting posture of the raja.
  • ?–1975
    Abdur Rehman Chughtai, Lahore, Pakistan
    until?
    Muhammad Abdullah Chughtai, Lahore and New York
    ?–1984
    Doris Wiener Ltd., New York, NY
    1984–2018
    Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Los Angeles
    2018–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 10, 2018-April 7, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Raja Bikram Singh of Guler smoking a hookah|url=false|author=|year=c. 1678–90|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.89