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Balwant Singh Hunts a Tiger

Attributed to Nainsukh Indian
ca. 1750
Not on view
The meaning of this panoramic colored drawing is unclear. Ostensibly it is a straightforward depiction of a royal hunt in the Mughal mode, but the portentous size of the prey, a majestic tiger, and the fact that it is surrounded by diminutively scaled and symmetrically arrayed equestrian hunters raises many questions. Nainsukh was the premier painter of the Guler court in the Punjab Hills in the mid-eighteenth century, and the painting features the artist’s lifelong patron, Raja Balwant Singh (r. 1723–63), seen dressed in hunting green. Although it was customary for court artists to accompany their patrons on such ventures and record their achievements, the curious construction suggests that this picture was not made from direct observation but, rather, may reflect an internal world, perhaps a dream that the raja recounted and wanted to record.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Balwant Singh Hunts a Tiger
  • Artist: Attributed to Nainsukh (active ca. 1735–78)
  • Date: ca. 1750
  • Culture: India, Himachal Pradesh, Guler
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 7 7/8 × 16 7/8 in. (20 × 42.9 cm)
    Framed: 17 5/8 × 21 1/2 × 3/4 in. (44.8 × 54.6 × 1.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, by exchange, 2022
  • Object Number: 2022.248
  • Rights and Reproduction: Image © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

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A Lady with Attendants, Nainsukh Indian, Ink and transparent watercolor on paper, India (Pahari Hills, Kangra)
A Lady with Attendants
Nainsukh
ca. 1775–80
Drawing for an Illustration from a Sat Sai of Bihari Lal Series: The Message of the Eyes (recto); Lady in Search of Her Lover on a Dark Night (verso), Nainsukh Indian, Ochre on paper, India (Pahari Hills, Kangra)
Drawing for an Illustration from a Sat Sai of Bihari Lal Series: The Message of the Eyes (recto); Lady in Search of Her Lover on a Dark Night (verso)
Nainsukh
Fattu
ca. 1785–90
Krishna Subdues the Serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna River: Illustration from a Bhagavata Purana Series, Nainsukh Indian, Ink and wash on paper, India (Pahari Hills, Guler or Kangra)
Krishna Subdues the Serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna River: Illustration from a Bhagavata Purana Series
Nainsukh
ca. 1780
Durga, Kali, and the Matrikas Battle the Demon Raktabija: Scene from the Devi Mahatmya , Nainsukh Indian, Ink, ocher and underdrawing, India (Himachal Pradesh, Guler)

Durga, Kali, and the Matrikas Battle the Demon Raktabija: Scene from the Devi Mahatmya

Nainsukh
ca. 1780
Durga Confronts the Buffalo Demon Mahisha: Scene from the Devi Mahatmya, Nainsukh Indian, Charcoal and opaque watercolor on paper, India (Himachal Pradesh, Guler)
Durga Confronts the Buffalo Demon Mahisha: Scene from the Devi Mahatmya
Nainsukh
ca. 1780

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