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Royal standard

1850–1900
Not on view
Royal standards were displayed alongside Indian rulers as insignia of rank. Referred to as lawa-jama, or “necessary things,” a collective term to denote all forms of regalia, standards were held aloft by attendants during royal audiences (durbars), processions, and other state ceremonies, or whenever the maharaja appeared in public. This large and impressive example is decorated with the radiating divine face of the sun and, on the reverse, the moon cradling a seated ibex, both understood as auspicious and as giving expression to the divine origins of the Rajput royal lineages.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Royal standard
  • Date: 1850–1900
  • Culture: India, Rajasthan, probably Mewar
  • Medium: Embroidered and embossed silk with glass beads and sequins; wooden staff sheathed in silver
  • Dimensions: Standard and pole: H. 92 1/8 (234 cm); W. 28 3/4 in. (73 cm)
    Fan with post: H. 40 3/8 in. (102.6 cm)
    Fan without post: H. 32 in. (81.3 cm); W. 28 3/4 in. (73 cm); D. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Shining Sung Gift, 2021
  • Object Number: 2021.144
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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