Maharaja Sidh Sen Receiving an Embassy
The subdues palette of grays, greens, and whites and the sophisticated drawing of this unusually large and ambitious painting mark it as the work of the most important Mandi painter of the early eighteenth century. The dual-level composition, in which the maharaja and two visiting dignitaries sit on a raised dais covered with a summer carpet while retainers and mounts stand on the ground below, derives from Mughal models. The subject is extremely unusual within the corpus of hill-state painting; the picture probably records an actual meeting, which seems filled with import. In Hindu painting, rulers are routinely portrayed on a larger scale than their courtiers, as befits their royal stature. Here, the two massive figures face each other; the white-robed Sidh Sen and his portly petitioner.
Artwork Details
- Title: Maharaja Sidh Sen Receiving an Embassy
- Artist: A Master of the Mandi atelier (Indian)
- Date: ca. 1700–10
- Culture: India (Himachal Pradesh, Mandi)
- Medium: Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 14 1/2 × 10 1/8 in. (36.8 × 25.7 cm)
Sheet: 14 3/4 × 10 11/16 in. (37.5 × 27.1 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift and Rogers Fund, 1995
- Object Number: 1995.39
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.