Tiger Hunt of Raja Ram Singh II
1835
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1835
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Tiger Hunt of Raja Ram Singh II is a 1835 unspecified by Unknown, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a tiger leaping, snarling, and falling—all in one scene—against rocky cliffs. A dead bull lies in the corner, bait for the hunt. Below, men with drums and guns drive the tiger toward the river, where the king stands in a boat, rifle raised. This painting shows the same animal three times to tell the whole story in one frame. It’s like a comic strip from 1830s India, made for a ruler who wanted to remember his victory. The bright colors and busy action make it feel alive, even though it’s flat and still. If you like this, look up the Rajput kingdom of Kota—they made many paintings like it.
With the dramatic cliffs of Kotah as the backdrop, one massive tiger is shown at three rapidly successive moments in time. Having been lured out of the forest by the dead bull at the upper left, the king’s men drive the tiger to the riverbanks with drums, trumpets, arrows, and muskets. The king himself, Ram Singh II who ruled the small kingdom of Kotah from 1827 until 1866, is shown in the act of delivering the fatal shot from the prow of a boat, as the ladies and nobles of the court look on in admiration. The tiger sinks into the river, from where he will be retrieved and offered with all…
Read the full account in the museum source.
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