Portrait of Sawai Madho Singh of Jaipur

CultureIndian

Date1770-1790

MediumOpaque watercolor with gold and silver on paper

DimensionsImage: 9 3/4 × 6 1/4 inches (24.77 × 15.88 cm)
Sheet: 13 × 8 5/8 inches (33.02 × 21.91 cm)
Mat: 21 × 16 inches (53.34 × 40.64 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: Asian Art Acquisition Fund in memory of Laurence Sickman

Object number2018.22

InscribedOn the attached backing sheet, there is an Urdu inscription in black ink of the king’s name: “Raja Madho Singh Sawai” Below this in light pen or graphite, there is a note in English script : “Raha Madho Singh of? “ There is no inscription or marks on the recto or verso of the painting folio, itself.

On View

Not on view

Collections

South and Southeast Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionThis vertical format miniature painting is made with opaque watercolor and metalic paint on paper. It depicts a seated portrait of an Indian maharaja. Raja Madho Singh of Jaipur (r. 1751-1768) is recognizable by his curled moustache and large square head. He wears a bright orangish red jama and sits on a silver throne with its legs and arms formed of lions against a backdrop divided into fields of white, green, and a small section of blue sky. He garments include a brocade cloud collar and strands of pearls and emeralds hang around his neck. A green halo frames Madho Singh’s face in profile and a red turban heavily ornamented with jewels covers the top of his head. A gold border decorated with stylized flowers in alternating shades of red and blue surrounds the royal portrait. The painting is mounted on an album page with a salmon-colored border.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Asiatiche Miniaturen, Museum Het Prinsenhof, Delft, July 29–September 18, 1967, no. 127.

Provenance

Aaron (1886-1965) and Maria (nee Stodel, 1888-1977) Vecht, Amsterdam, 1930’s–1960’s [1];

By descent to their son Jack Vecht (1916-1995), Amsterdam, by 1967;

By descent to his son Constant Vecht (b.1948), Amsterdam;

With Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch LTD, London, 2018;

Purchased from Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch LTD by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, April 2018.

[1] Email correspondence dated March 21, 2018, from Constant Vecht to Michele Valentine, NAMA curatorial files.

Published References

Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, Asiatische Miniaturen, exh. cat. (Delft: Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, 1967), 42.

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.