The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 26, 2023

Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra and Courtiers

c. 1783

Northern India, Himachal Pradesh, Pahari Kingdom of Kangra

Gum tempera and gold on paper

Overall: 24.2 x 21.6 cm (9 1/2 x 8 1/2 in.)

Gift of Clara Taplin Rankin 1986.63

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

This painting once belonged to Cleveland attorney George P. Bickford, who endowed positions at the CMA and Harvard.

Description

Ruler of the western Himalayan kingdom of Kangra from 1775 to 1823, Sansar Chand (1765–1823) is seated on a red dais. As a youth at around 18 years of age, he still has not grown a beard, and his distinctive curly bushy hair is visible beneath his pink turban. This portrait may commemorate the Mughals relinquishing control of Kangra in 1783.

Provenance
George Bickford [1901–1991], Cleveland Heights, OH
?–1986
Mrs. Alfred M. [Clara Taplin] Rankin [b. 1917], Gates Mills, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
1986–
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Asia Society, Sherman E. Lee, and George Montgomery. Rajput Painting; with an introductory essay and catalogue notes. New York: Asia House, 1960. Reproduced: p. 75; plate 71
Exhibition history

Asia House, New York City, "Rajput Painting," Dec. 3, 1960-Jan. 22, 1961.

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

Year in Review for 1986. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-March 15, 1987).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1986.63