Maharaja of Rewa in Prayer
Medium
albumen print
Dimensions
image: 20 × 27.2 cm · paper: 20 × 27.2 cm
Classification
Photograph
Department
Photography
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
2016.266.21
Tags
male
About this artwork
Performing religious devotions was part of a maharaja’s duty to protect his kingdom. Praying before an altar, the maharaja fingers prayer beads and sits opposite a mirror, an auspicious object in Hindu worship. The lines painted on the men’s foreheads indicatethat they are devotees of the Hindu god Vishnu. This group portrait demonstrates three ways rulers serve the state: by being a military commander, a worldly scholar, and, in this image, an observant Hindu.