Tickets
English
DonateMembership
Tickets

Preparatory Study for a Portrait of Man Singh and His Harem

1810–15
Not on view
Rajput rulers generally married women from other royal families in order to forge political alliances. A powerful raja was, in turn, a sought-after husband, and there was no limit to the number of women he could marry. Man Singh's large female following shown in this sketch is certainly as much an expression of his practical power as it is a romantic conceit, flattering the prince by emphasizing his sexual appeal.

The drawing appears to have been sketched quickly and conveys something of the breathless enjoyment of the romp in the spontaneity of its conception. The artist has marked each form in the composition with the color he would like his assistant to apply. The paper has been pricked to allow the image to be transferred to another sheet, presumably to make a finished painting of the subject.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Preparatory Study for a Portrait of Man Singh and His Harem
  • Date: 1810–15
  • Culture: India (Rajasthan, Jodhpur)
  • Medium: Ink and opaque watercolor on paper, pricked for transfer
  • Dimensions: 14 1/8 x 22 in. (35.9 x 55.9 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1934
  • Object Number: 34.89
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Primer, Horn, ivory, Indian, Rajasthan
Primer
Indian, Rajasthan
18th century
The Angel of the Annunciation (Cartoon for an Embroidery), Raffaellino del Garbo (also known as Raffaelle de' Capponi and Raffaelle de' Carli) Italian, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with white gouache, over black chalk on paper washed brown; outlines of design and framing outlines pricked and with traces of rubbed black pouncing dust
The Angel of the Annunciation (Cartoon for an Embroidery)
Raffaellino del Garbo (also known as Raffaelle de' Capponi and Raffaelle de' Carli)
1466–1524
Primer, Brass, Indian, Rajasthan
Primer
Indian, Rajasthan
18th century
The Adoration of the Magi (Cartoon for an Embroidery), Diego Lopez de Escuriaz Spanish, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, highlighted with white gouache, over black chalk, on blue-green paper; outlines finely pricked for transfer
The Adoration of the Magi (Cartoon for an Embroidery)
Attributed to Diego Lopez de Escuriaz
1587–89
Hunting Sword (Shamshir Shikargar) with Modern Scabbard, Steel, gold, textile (velvet), wood, Indian, Rajasthan
Hunting Sword (Shamshir Shikargar) with Modern Scabbard
Indian, Rajasthan
18th–mid-19th century

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.