King Tirumala Nayaka in Procession

1640–50
Not on view
The extraordinary painted cotton textile is a visual tableau of 17th century court life from the Nayaka kingdom of south India. It served as an enclosure screen when the patron, a Nayaka ruler and his courtiers, were on campaign, and undoubtedly on other occasions in and beyond the court. The architectural arcading of colonnades and cusped arches echoes those preserved Nayaka palace architecture. The unconventional composition was undoubtedly orchestrated by the patron to reflect his particular vision of court life.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: King Tirumala Nayaka in Procession
  • Date: 1640–50
  • Culture: India
  • Medium: Cotton, hand-painted mordant-dyed and resist-dyed (kalamkari)
  • Dimensions: 68 1/2 in. × 14 ft. 10 1/4 in. (174 × 452.8 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Painted and Dyed
  • Credit Line: Gift of Steven and Jeffrey Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 2022
  • Object Number: 2022.439
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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