Creative Commons License
Portrait of a Ruler
(India, Nepal, and Tibet, Manuscripts and Rare Books, Islamic World , Islamic Manuscripts)
The rich purple robe, brocaded sash, pearls, and emeralds that this figure wears proclaim his elite status. His plumed headdress and the nimbus that surrounds his profile mark him as a ruler. Holding a flower and resting against an orange bolster, he sits in leisure. While the trees behind him suggest a garden setting, the artist has painted the surroundings rather sparsely, focusing attention on the ruler. The dramatic, impressionistic sky suggests the painting’s origin in the Deccan (a region in south-central India), probably in or around the city of Hyderabad.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2001, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Geographies
India, Telangana, Hyderabad (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 8 7/8 x W: 4 1/2 in. (22.5 x 11.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2001
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.889