Raja Gulab Singh
Unknown Artist
c. 1830–40
Medium
Gum tempera and gold on paper
Dimensions
19.8 × 13.8 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of J. H. Wade
Accession Number
1925.1338
About this artwork
Gulab Singh (1792-1857) was a powerful ruler of the Sikhs, members of a monotheistic religion founded by Guru Nanak (1469-1539) in the northern Indian region of the Punjab. Often in conflict with the Mughals, they rejected the more naturalistic Mughal portrait styles. Sikh rulers in the Punjab and the neighboring Himalayan foothill region of Jammu adopted the mode of courtly portraiture that was current among the Rajputs, who were rulers of Hindu regions and principalities of northern and wester...