- Title
- Prince Himan Raj Singh at Worship
- Date Made
- circa 1790
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 12 1/8 x 8 in. (30.8 x 20.32 cm); Image: 11 3/4 x 7 1/4 in. (29.85 x 18.42 cm)
- Accession Number
- AC1994.59.3
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
A Hindi inscription on the verso identifies the main figure as the crown prince (maharajkumar) Himan Raj Singh. (Translated by Naval Krishna.) Produced during the reign of Vikramajit (r. 1766-1817), when Orchha was a feudatory of the Mughal empire, the painting depicts the prince and his two sons offering homage to images of the Hindu god Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi that appear on large lotuses on thin stalks rising out of a small pool in a shrine or palace courtyard. Given the physical impossibility of metal or stone sculptures of the deities capable of being supported in such a manner, it is likely the scene should be interpreted as a divine vision embodying the focus of the prince’s devotion. Rajput paintings of princely devotion are common, but images of spiritual visions are rare.
Himan Raj Singh wears a slightly conical turban with standard ornaments, a transparent white coat (jama) tied under his left arm indicating he is a Hindu, striped pants, and copious jewelry. His piety is indicated by his eyes being directly engaged with those of Vishnu, his sectarian forehead markings, his hands being held together in the gesture of devotion, the rosary he holds, and his bare feet.
- Selected Bibliography
- Pal, Pratapaditya; Markel, Stephen; Leoshko, Janice. Pleasure Gardens of the Mind: Indian Paintings from the Jane Greenough Green Collection. Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd.: Los Angeles, 1993.
