The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 1, 2023

Dog with pups

c. 1780

India, Rajasthan, Ajmer, probably Sawar school, 18th century

Ink and opaque watercolor on paper

Image: 22 x 16.5 cm (8 11/16 x 6 1/2 in.); Overall: 18.7 x 25 cm (7 3/8 x 9 13/16 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Ward in memory of her father, Charles Svec 1969.77

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

The newborn puppies are still too young to open their eyes.

Description

Dogs were kept in the Mughal imperial palace and attentively cared for by one keeper for every two hunting dogs. Akbar’s biography notes that the emperor liked dogs so much he imported different breeds from distant lands, and Jahangir requested English hunting dogs from the ambassador Sir Thomas Roe. The tradition of collecting and keeping dogs was continued by the succeeding emperors and vassal kings.

Citations
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 308 archive.org
Kathman, Barbara A. A Cleveland Bestiary. Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981. Reproduced: p. 36; Mentioned: p. 33, p. 62
Exhibition history

Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115); August 13, 2003 - February 18, 2004.

Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).

A Cleveland Bestiary. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 15-December 16, 1981).

Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.77