A Wife Seeks Justice or Mercy
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.The precise subject of this painting has defied identification, but the theme likely relates to a scandalous event, perhaps a sexual transgression on the part of the woman depicted. The events unfold in two dramatic scenes set in an urban panorama, with the main protagonists being the wife, her husband, and her mother-in-law, along with witnesses and the local ruler sitting in judgment. The town is identified by inscription in the upper right area of sky in local Takri script as dadhwal, probably referring to the small Punjab Hill state of Dada-Siba.
Artwork Details
- Title: A Wife Seeks Justice or Mercy
- Date: ca. 1740–50
- Culture: India, Himachal Pradesh, Guler style
- Medium: Opaque watercolor on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 14 15/16 × 30 11/16 in. (38 × 78 cm)
Framed: 19 7/8 × 35 5/8 × 3/4 in. (50.5 × 90.5 × 1.9 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: The Howard Hodgkin Collection, on loan from the Howard Hodgkin Indian Collection Trust
- Object Number: L.2022.30.12
- Rights and Reproduction: Photo © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art