Portrait of Maharaja Balbir Sen of Mandi / Artist Unknown India, Mandi, Himechal Predesh
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1964/2.119
- Title
- Portrait of Maharaja Balbir Sen of Mandi
- Artist Nationality
- Indian
- Medium and Support
- opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1825
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- India (nation)
- Himachal Pradesh (state)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- India (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Himachal Pradesh (state)
- Style/Group/Movement
- Pahari [Punjab Hills] painting
- Inscription
- inscription: ?rikudhm?bhanamah [or srikrsnabhanamah] ?rim?h?r?jabalbirsaigh
- and another fainter inscription
- Dimensions
- 18.4 cm x 13 cm (7 1/4 in. x 5 1/8 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Primary Object Type
- portrait
- Physical Description
- Balbir Sen of Mandi sits with his legs tucked under him against a purplish bolster on an oval orange carpet with a green border. He wears a white garment with green borders and some jewelry: a ring, bracelets, an armlet, necklaces, earrings and wears a green turban with a turban jewel across the front, surmounted by a black feathered aigrette. A sword signifying his rank lies across his body. He sits in strict profile with a heavy black beard and mustache. The paper is plain and uncolored except around the figure, which is painted against a white wash taking the shape of the seated man and his setting.
- Inscriptions in devanagari script are above the painting.
- Subject Matter
- Balbir Sen (ca. 1817–1851; r. 1839–1851) was born into a family that had ruled the small state of Mandi, in the foothills of the Himalaya, since the early sixteenth century. In this portrait he is shown seated on an orange rug, with a purple bolster pillow at his back. He is dressed in simple white robes, with only a few appurtenances of rank: a sword, a few pieces of modest jewelry, and a perky feather in his turban. Without resorting to fussy detail, the artist has convincingly portrayed a distinct personality. Although the almost geometric shapes create a flat pattern, there is nonetheless a sense of mass to the figure.
- Secondary Keywords
- army
- figures
- military
- objects
- objects of adornment
- objects we use
- people and occupations
- political figures
- swords
- visual works
- visual works by subject type
- weaponry
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 909 x 1281
- File Size
- 90 KB
- Record
- 1964/2.119
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1964-sl-2.119/1964_2.119.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1964-SL-2.119:1964_2.119.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Portrait of Maharaja Balbir Sen of Mandi; Artist Unknown India, Mandi, Himechal Predesh." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1964-sl-2.119/1964_2.119.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 25, 2024.
