Page from a Sketchbook Showing Rulers on Horseback, Boars, and a Palace Scene
late 18th century
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
Image (sight): 6 1/4 x 5 5/8 in. (15.9 x 14.3 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture
India (Pahari Hills, Guler)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Subhash Kapoor, in memory of his parents, Smt Shashi Kanta and Shree Parshotam Ram Kapoor, 2008
Accession Number
2008.359.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate ink sketch from a late 18th-century Pahari workshop offers a vivid glimpse into the artistic life of India’s Guler court in the Himalayan foothills. Created in the renowned Guler style associated with the family of Pandit Seu and his son Manaku, the page captures multiple studies on a single sheet—rulers on horseback, lively boars, and an architectural palace scene. Such sketchbooks served as essential tools for artists, allowing them to record observations from nature, court ceremonies, and daily life for later use in finished paintings. The compact format, measuring just over ...
About the Artist
Pandit Seu|Manaku (Indian|Indian) · |1715 – |1770
Indian|Indian, active ca. 1725–60