Artwork
Maharana Sangram Singh II of Mewar (r. 1710–34) and Stages a Boar Hunt with Tigers at Sadri
Maharana Sangram Singh II of Mewar (r. 1710–34) and Stages a Boar Hunt with Tigers at Sadri is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1720 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work depicts a lively hunting tableau set in an open landscape, framed by a vivid red border.
About this work
History & Provenance
The sources do not record any earlier owners or the circumstances of its commission; its provenance prior to the 2018 acquisition remains undocumented.
The painting was produced in Mewar around 1720 by an unknown artist. It depicts Maharana Sangram Singh II staging a boar hunt with tigers at Sadri. The work is now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is registered under accession number 2018.145.
The sources do not record any earlier owners or the circumstances of its commission; its provenance prior to the 2018 acquisition remains undocumented.
The painting is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it entered the collection as accession number 2018.145. It was made in 1720 in Mewar and was accessioned by the museum in 2018.
No prior exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
The work depicts a lively hunting tableau set in an open landscape, framed by a vivid red border. Central to the composition is Maharana Sangram Singh II of Mewar, mounted on horseback, observing a chaotic chase in which tigers and boars surge across the grass. Peripheral figures, riders, onlookers, and attendants, populate the edges, some gathered near structures, others seated on the ground, creating a sense of communal spectacle.
Subject & Meaning
The painting records a royal boar hunt augmented by the presence of tigers, an event likely staged to demonstrate the ruler’s martial prowess and the court’s capacity to orchestrate elaborate spectacles. By placing the Maharana as a calm observer amid the tumult, the image underscores his authority and composure while celebrating the vigor of Mewar’s aristocratic traditions.
Technique & Style
Executed in bright pigments, the artist employs a flattened spatial arrangement typical of early‑18th‑century Rajput court painting. Figures and animals are rendered with bold outlines and stylised gestures, emphasizing narrative over naturalistic detail. The red border functions both as a decorative frame and a visual device that unifies the bustling scene.
Context
Royal hunts were a central motif in Rajput visual culture, serving both as a record of elite leisure and as a symbolic assertion of power over nature. The inclusion of tigers, a creature associated with danger and royalty, alongside boars reflects the heightened drama favored by court patrons during the early modern period in Rajasthan.
Artist & collection
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