id: 314455 accession number: 2018.150 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/2018.150 updated: 2023-08-24 01:24:22.941000 Maharana Bhim Singh of Mewar (r. 1778–1828) with a Consort, c. 1810. Attributed to Chokha (Indian, active c. 1799–1824). Gum tempera, silver and gold on paper; miniature: 24.8 x 15.9 cm (9 3/4 x 6 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.150 title: Maharana Bhim Singh of Mewar (r. 1778–1828) with a Consort title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: c. 1810 creation date earliest: 1800 creation date latest: 1820 current location: creditline: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund copyright: --- culture: Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Mewar technique: Gum tempera, silver and gold on paper department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art collection: Indian Art type: Painting find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS * Chokha (Indian, active c. 1799–1824) - artist Indian painter, active 1799-1824 --- measurements: Miniature: 24.8 x 15.9 cm (9 3/4 x 6 1/4 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: inscription: mhārānā jī śrī bhīma sīṃgha jī translation: remark: inscription: sakhī rānā bhīma siṃgha rī kachajhu mei translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Indian Gallery 242 Rotation opening date: 2018-09-10T04:00:00 Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 10, 2018-April 7, 2019). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer, Beverly Hills, CA, partial sale and gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art date: -2018 footnotes: citations: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH date: 2018- footnotes: citations: --- fun fact: A European-style armchair in the background is a reminder of British influence at the court. digital description: The consort folds her hands in devotion to the Maharana whose glory is highlighted with a halo behind his head. The Maharana fondly holds the chin of his paramour and appears to be in the process of putting a garland around her neck. One of the most celebrated artists in the history of painting at Mewar, Chokha has nestled the couple in an overabundance of bolsters, their chamber covered with pink flower petals and draped with yellow garlands. wall description: One of the most celebrated artists in the history of painting at Mewar, Chokha rendered the king and his consort in an intense embrace, nestled amid an overabundance of bolsters in a love nest draped with flower garlands and entirely covered with pink flower petals. The bliss of the encounter is heightened when the viewer realizes that the lady has been waiting so long for his return, presumably from battle, that she has had the time to drape the bed so thoroughly. The rana, or king, has set aside his sword and shield at the foot of the bed to focus on his queen and offer her a garland.

The ideal of bhoga, or enjoyment, was considered an essential aspect of ideal kingship, and the depiction of a virile king enjoying himself, as in this painting, would be visual testament to the glory of his rule, even if the actual situation was far from ideal. By the time of Bhim Singh, British residents exerted control in the Mughal and Rajput courts, and the ranas of Mewar were facing financial ruin and political decline. A European-style chair sits in an upper room of the marble palace as a reminder of British influence. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2018.150/2018.150_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2018.150/2018.150_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2018.150/2018.150_full.tif