Rao Ram Chandra of Bedla on a swing

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1740s
  • Geography

    Mewar, Rajasthan state, India
  • Material

    Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W (painting): 32.4 × 22.3 cm (12 3/4 × 8 3/4 in)
  • Accession Number

    S2018.1.24
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S2018.1.24

Object Details

  • Artist

    Attributed to Shahji
  • School/Tradition

    Mewar school
  • Label

    An inscription in the upper margin in nagari identifies the subject as Rao Sri Ram Chand, ruler of the thikana of Bedla, which was part of the Mewar kingdom. On a canopied swing, the nobleman sits with his arm affectionately draped across his consorts shoulders and holding her hand. It is night, the jewelry and gold-embrodiered garments of Ramchand and his attendants gleam against the dark garden setting.
    The painting is very much in the style of Amar Singh II (r. 1698-1710) painting, with whom Rao Ramchand was intimately connected as his daughter, Maharani Dev Kunwar, had married the Mewar ruler.
  • Provenance

    To 1969
    Indian Arts Palace, New Delhi [1]
    From 1969 to 2001
    Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Indian Arts Palace, New Delhi in November 1969 [2]
    From 2001 to 2018
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, by inheritance from Ralph Benkaim in 2001
    From 2018
    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim
    [1] Ralph Benkaim purchased the painting from Indian Arts Palace, New Delhi in November 1969, several years before Indian paintings were classified as antiquities by the Indian government, according to Ralph Benkaim’s personal records, as relayed by Catherine Glynn Benkaim.
    [2] See note 1.
  • Collection

    National Museum of Asian Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    A Flower from Every Meadow: Indian Paintings from American Collections (April 12, 1973 to November 11, 1973)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Indian Arts Palace
    Ralph and Catherine Benkaim
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim
  • Origin

    Mewar, Rajasthan state, India
  • Credit Line

    Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art
  • Type

    Painting
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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