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Escapade at Night:

Attributed to Chokha Indian
ca. 1800–10
Not on view
A nobleman ascends a rope to visit his lover, who reclines within the palace’s defended walls. The clandestine tryst is a theme that runs through the poetry of this period, and certainly the tension of this forbidden act would have appealed to royal tastes. Presenting this scene in the somber tones of night is an innovation of the artist Chokha, who followed his father, Bagta, as the major Mewar painter during this period. Chokha gives the painting a sense of drama by juxtaposing the quietude of the sleeping cows and guards with the brightly colored protagonists and a roiling band of black thunderclouds.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Escapade at Night:
  • Artist: Attributed to Chokha (Indian, active 1799–ca. 1826)
  • Date: ca. 1800–10
  • Culture: India (Rajasthan, Mewar)
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 11 1/2 x 14 7/8 in. (29.2 x 37.8 cm)
    Page: 12 3/16 x 15 15/16 in. (31 x 40.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2006
  • Object Number: 2006.451
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
Radha Crosses a River to Interview a Hindu Sage, Chokha Indian, Ink, opaque watercolor, silver, and gold on paper, India (Rajasthan, Mewar)
Radha Crosses a River to Interview a Hindu Sage
Chokha
ca. 1820
Primer, Horn, ivory, Indian, Rajasthan
Primer
Indian, Rajasthan
18th century
The Demon Hiranyaksha Departs the Demon Palace: Folio from a Bhagavata Purana Series, Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper, Northern India, Guler, Himachal Pradesh
The Demon Hiranyaksha Departs the Demon Palace: Folio from a Bhagavata Purana Series
Northern India, Guler, Himachal Pradesh
ca. 1740
A Court Beauty, Chokha Indian, Opaque watercolor, gold and tin on cotton cloth, India, Rajasthan, Udaipur
A Court Beauty
Chokha
1805–10
Primer, Brass, Indian, Rajasthan
Primer
Indian, Rajasthan
18th century

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