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Jai Singh III of Jaipur (r. 1818–1835) Riding
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In contrast to imperial Mughal painting and Western portraiture, native or Rajput Indian portraits are simpler and more monumental in design, standing essentially as symbols of general ideas. Here the Rajput ruler sits unaffected by the gallop of his mount, with the trappings of a warrior and the devotional marks of a follower of the Hindu god Vishnu on his forehead. He is depicted as an ideal warrior king, pious, in full control, gazing ahead abstractly as though seeing an immutable truth.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineJai Singh III of Jaipur (r. 1818–1835) Riding, c. 1820. Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Jaipur. Gum tempera and ink on paper; overall: 10 x 14.3 cm (3 15/16 x 5 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade, 1925.1337
