Tiered Court Scene
1735
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1735
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Tiered Court Scene is a 1735 unspecified by Chitarman II, a Baroque work, depicting Delhi, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a tall, busy painting split into three stacked scenes. At the top, a blue-skinned hero fights a demon in a golden city. The middle shows gods flying kites, listening to music, and rowing boats. At the bottom, people splash red water at each other in a palace garden. This painting was made for a Muslim emperor who wanted to celebrate Hindu stories. It mixes royal court life with epic tales, showing how different traditions could share the same space. To see more paintings like this, look up the Mughal court of Muhammad Shah (reigned 1719–48).
Emperor Muhammad Shah rekindled an imperial interest in Hinduism that had not been so strong since the time of Akbar, 150 years before. He commissioned this painting that shows the acts of Rama, hero of a Hindu epic, who slays the demon of the golden city of Lanka at the top of the page. In the middle sections, various Hindu deities enjoy music, kite flying, and boating, while at the bottom the Krishna plays Holi with his lover Radha and other palace women. They shoot red-colored water at one another with plunger guns in celebration of the coming of spring.
A leering sea horse monster rears its head below the golden island city of Lanka.
Read the full account in the museum source.
