Maharaja Sundar Das of Sawar

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Maharaja Sundar Das of Sawar

c. 1660-1680

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

In this scene, the bodies of Maharaja Sundar Das and his two small sons, the birdcage, and the bolster are painted as flat objects, almost as if they were paper cutouts. Although the use of shading to show dimension was well known in India by this time via Mughal and European artists, this Rajput painter chose not to employ shading at all. Instead, the viewer's attention is caught by bold variations in scale and by the interplay of colors. Although politically insignificant, the small kingdom of Sawar in northeastern Rajasthan had an active painting workshop. Little is known about Maharaja Sundar Das (1606-1668) except that he was obese and required seven yards of muslin for his waistband.

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Object Details

Title:

Maharaja Sundar Das of Sawar

Date:

c. 1660-1680

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 8 13/16 × 11 5/8 inches (22.4 × 29.5 cm) Sheet: 10 5/8 × 13 11/16 inches (27 × 34.8 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

125th Anniversary Acquisition. Alvin O. Bellak Collection, 2004

Accession Number:

2004-149-51

Geography:

Made in Sawar, Rajasthan, India, Asia

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