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Maharaja Chattarsol of Kota Shooting Lions

Unknown

1860

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Patna School of Painting Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century History Painting

Dominant colour

Maharaja Chattarsol of Kota Shooting Lions is a 1860 unspecified by Unknown, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1860 · Patna School of Painting
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a ruler on horseback firing a rifle at two lions drinking from a pond. Servants crouch behind him, and the scene glows with bright blues and greens. This was a favorite scene in Kota, a kingdom in Rajasthan. The ruler’s skill with a gun was meant to show his power. The colors are extra vivid because the artist used new, synthetic pigments from Europe. To see more royal hunts like this, look up *rajput kingdom of kota*.

The story of this work

Overview

The trope of a royal marksman shooting at a pair of lions drinking at a pond extended into the second half of the 1800s at the Kota court. This suggests that earlier examples of this theme were prized and remembered for generations. By the time this painting was made, artists had access to synthetic pigments that were developed in the West, and more brilliant blues and greens distinguish a work such as this from its predecessors.

Read the full account in the museum source.