Maharaja Dhiraj Singh Enjoying Evening Entertainment

ca. 1700

Not on view

Dhiraj Singh, shown relaxing with entertainers on his palace terrace, is recognizable by his distinctive mustache and sideburns and tall turban of Central Indian style. He is being entertained by a nautch (dancer) accompanied by two musicians: a woman with cymbals, who likely also vocalizes, and a man playing the double-sided drum (pakhavaj). The maharaja relaxes on a carpet, his paan box and spittoon placed nearby. It is evidently a night scene and, judging from the dark sky and the second tunic (jama) being worn, it is also cold.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

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Exhibition History

References

Title: Maharaja Dhiraj Singh Enjoying Evening Entertainment
Date: ca. 1700
Culture: India, Madhya Pradesh, Raghugarh
Medium: Opaque watercolor with gold on paper
Dimensions: Image: 10 5/8 × 7 5/8 in. (27 × 19.4 cm)
Framed: 15 × 11 7/8 × 3/4 in. (38.1 × 30.2 × 1.9 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, by exchange, 2022
Object Number: 2022.231
Rights and Reproduction: Photo © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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