Royal women shooting from a pavilion
Unknown Artist
c. 1810
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
sheet: 34.3 × 27.3 cm · sheet with border: 38.1 × 31.1 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1955.48
About this artwork
Two magnificent lions arrived at a pond, and the male turns back, sensing that something has alerted the deer. From a hunting lodge, a princess aims her musket in their direction. On the far banks of the pond is an abstract phallic sculpture (linga) on a spouted pedestal, indicating the sacred presence of the Hindu god Shiva. In front of the linga is an image of Shiva’s mount, the bull Nandi. The linga and bull bear traces of worship: horizontal marks in saffron, turmeric, and gold that communic...