Royal women shooting from a pavilion
1810
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1810
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Royal women shooting from a pavilion is a 1810 unspecified by Unknown, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a princess in a red-and-gold pavilion aiming a musket at two lions near a pond. Deer scatter. A small stone bull and a tall, smooth pillar stand on the far bank. The pillar is a *linga*—a symbol of the Hindu god Shiva. Worshippers have rubbed it with saffron and turmeric, leaving bright streaks. The scene mixes royal hunting with sacred ground, showing how rulers in Kota tied power to faith. Look up *rajput kingdom of kota* to see more paintings like this.
Two magnificent lions arrived at a pond, and the male turns back, sensing that something has alerted the deer. From a hunting lodge, a princess aims her musket in their direction. On the far banks of the pond is an abstract phallic sculpture (linga) on a spouted pedestal, indicating the sacred presence of the Hindu god Shiva. In front of the linga is an image of Shiva’s mount, the bull Nandi. The linga and bull bear traces of worship: horizontal marks in saffron, turmeric, and gold that communicate the worshiper’s religious affiliation and an inverted lotus flower. Devotion to Shiva is a…
On the distant horizon a European rides an elephant, while a dog runs alongside.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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