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Not currently on display at the V&A

Maharana Amar Singh

Painting
ca. 1735 - ca. 1740 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Painting, in opaque watercolour on cotton cloth, portrait of Maharana Amar Singh. The Maharana is standing facing to the right, holding a small vase in his left hand, and clutching his sword handle with his left. He is shown with a halo, and wears a white robe (jama), flecked with orange, suggesting that he has been participating in the Holi festivities. There is a horse-headed dagger at his belt, and he wears several jewelled necklaces and armbands.

The painting was not executed during the subject's lifetime, but judging by style, during the reign of his grandson Jagat Singh (r. 1734-1751). Amar Singh has been made to resemble the ruler, in contrast to the more austere appearance seen in contemporary portraits of him. The large scale of the portrait and the use of a cotton ground suggests an affinity with the Rajasthani tradition of pichwai painting. The work is unusual in combining a typical miniature painting subject with the pichwai technique.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMaharana Amar Singh (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour on cotton cloth
Brief description
Painting, Maharana Amar Singh, opaque watercolour on cloth, Udaipur, ca. 1735-1740
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour on cotton cloth, portrait of Maharana Amar Singh. The Maharana is standing facing to the right, holding a small vase in his left hand, and clutching his sword handle with his left. He is shown with a halo, and wears a white robe (jama), flecked with orange, suggesting that he has been participating in the Holi festivities. There is a horse-headed dagger at his belt, and he wears several jewelled necklaces and armbands.

The painting was not executed during the subject's lifetime, but judging by style, during the reign of his grandson Jagat Singh (r. 1734-1751). Amar Singh has been made to resemble the ruler, in contrast to the more austere appearance seen in contemporary portraits of him. The large scale of the portrait and the use of a cotton ground suggests an affinity with the Rajasthani tradition of pichwai painting. The work is unusual in combining a typical miniature painting subject with the pichwai technique.
Dimensions
  • Height: 213cm
  • Width: 137cm
  • Height: 2192mm (Framed dimensions)
  • Width: 1446mm (Framed dimensions)
1997 dimensions are from the accession register.
Content description
Maharana Amar Singh. The Maharana is standing facing to the right, holding a small vase in his left hand, and clutching his sword handle with his left. He is shown with a halo, and wears a white robe (jama), flecked with orange, suggesting that he has been participating in the Holi festivities. There is a horse-headed dagger at his belt, and he wears several jewelled necklaces and armbands.
Style
Credit line
Purchased with Art Fund support
Subjects depicted
Bibliographic references
  • Jackson, Anna and Jaffer, Amin (eds), with Deepika Ahlawat. Maharaja : the splendour of India's royal courts. London, V&A Publishing, 2009. ISBN.9781851775736 (hbk.), ISBN.1851775730 (hbk.). Plate 1, page 12.
  • Jackson, Anna and Ji Wei (eds.) with Rosemary Crill, Ainsley M. Cameron and Nicholas Barnard, compiled by the Palace Museum, translated by Yuan Hong, Qi Yue and Liu Ran. The Splendour of India' Royal Courts : Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Beijing: the Forbidden City Publishing House, 2013. Text in English and Chinese. ISBN 9787513403917. pps. 26 and 27
  • Spink, The Sublime Image, 1997, no. 8, National Art Collection Fund 1997 Review, p. 105
Collection
Accession number
IS.55-1997

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Record createdNovember 12, 2002
Record URL
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