Posthumous portrait of Raja Chhatar Singh of Chamba smoking a hookah with his brother and son
1700
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1700
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Posthumous portrait of Raja Chhatar Singh of Chamba smoking a hookah with his brother and son is a 1700 unspecified by Unknown, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a king in a red robe, his gray beard thin, pointing to his chest. His son holds the base of a hookah pipe, while the king grips the stem. A sword between them points straight at the boy. This painting was made after the king died—his gesture was a common way to show someone who had passed. The hookah wasn’t just for smoking; it showed royal power being handed down. The sword and pipe create a quiet line connecting father and son. To see more like this, look up northern india, pahari kingdoms.
King Chhatar Singh (reigned 1664–90), his thinning facial hair shot through with gray, points to his heart, a gesture common in images of the deceased. With his right hand he grasps the pipe of a hookah, connecting him to his son Udai Singh, who holds the rim of its base. The king’s sword points directly to the boy, further linking them visually. Since hookah smoking connoted elite royal status in Pahari portraiture, this image suggests the passing of power from father to son.
The back of this painting is lined with reused ledger paper.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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