Fragment from Maharaja Pratap Singh with ladies of the royal harem

Object Details

• Patron

  Pratap Singh (1764-1803; reign 1778-1803)

• Artist

  Sahib Ram (ca. 1740-1800)

• Court

  Jaipur Court

• School/Tradition

  Rajput school

• Label

  This fragment from what was once a full-size portrait of the Jaipur ruler Pratap Singh (reigned 1779-1803) focuses the viewer's attention on the royal women who cluster around the king's body. With hands decorated in red henna, the women grasp gold wine flasks, lift drinking cups to smiling lips, and caress their sinuous tresses. In court painting as well as poetry, the beautiful women who attended a king were testaments to his charisma and power.

  The Sackler fragment offers a rare opportunity to view the work of Sahiba Ram. Many Jaipur paintings, and certainly ones of this caliber, remain inaccessible within the collection of that Rajasthan court.

• Provenance

  1780-1800-?

  Pratap Singh (1764-1803; reign 1778-1803), commission from Sahib Ram (ca. 1740-1800) in Jaipur, India [1]

  ?-?

  Unidentified family, Jaipur, India and the United States [2]

  ?-1997

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013), New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [3]

  From 1997

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchase from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. [4]

  Notes:

  [1] This painting is attributed to Sahib Ram (ca. 1740-1800) who was one of the chief royal painters under the Maharaja of Jaipur, Pratap Singh (1764-1803; reign 1778-1803). See object information sheet from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd., dated April 18, 1997, copy in object file.

  [2] See note 1. On the object information sheet from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd., the provenance for this object is described as “Ex-collection: a family of Jaipur jewelers now settled in the USA. This painting left India well before 1970.”

  [3] See “Incoming Receipt,” dated April 18, 1997, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for acquisition consideration on April 18, 1997.

  See also Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. invoice issued by Terence McInerney, dated December 16, 1997, copy in object file. Object is described as “The Royal Ladies of Maharaja Pratap Singh.”

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. (active 1990-2013) in New York, NY, specialized in Indian and Islamic paintings and occasionally three-dimensional metal and wooden objects. Founded by Terence G. McInerney, his prior firm was the Greater India Company, Inc. (active 1974-1991) in Cambridge, MA.

  [4] See Arthur M. Sackler, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on December 16, 1997, copy in object file.

  Research updated July 31, 2023

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Arts of Mughal India (2004) (August 21, 2004 to February 6, 2005)

  Changing Tastes: Indian Paintings of the 18th and 19th Century (December 17, 2000 to July 15, 2001)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013)

• Origin

  Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1800s, 1780s

• Name

  McInerney, Terence

• Place

  Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Kachavaha dynasty, Art, Harem, Food habits, Hookah, Kings and rulers, Smoking

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings