Raja Bikram Singh of Guler (reigned 1661–85) smoking a hookah
Unknown Artist
c. 1678–90
Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
image: 17.2 × 24.4 cm · page: 21.7 × 28.8 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2018.89
About this artwork
The portrait of Raja Bikram Singh is the earliest depiction of a Guler chief and was produced in Chamba, possibly under the patronage of Raja Chattar Singh (r. 1664–90). The painting bears several features of early portraiture in Chamba—a straight Hookah pipe, striped trousers, large bolsters, and the sitting posture of the raja.