Maharana Ari Singh of Mewar Seated on a Swing

This painting captures the mood of revelry in the zenana .The raja is seated on a swing with two of his principal queens. They are being entertained by musicians and dancers. The graceful swaying movement of the dancers is a perfect foil to the hieratic stance of the prince, while the color contrasts between the white foreground, the brightly patterned dresses of the women, and the bright red frame of the swing set against the green garden beneath a dark sky, provide sheer visual delight.



Compare with a similar, slightly earlier illustration of Rana Pratap Singh II seated with his queen on a swing in a garden, flanked by their attendants, see S. C. Welch, A Flower from Every Meadow: Indian Paintings from American Collections, New York, 1973, no. 9, p. 30.

Fair overall condition. Abrasions to pigment at the top of the image and along the sides in the foliage. Paint loss consolidation and touch up to the white foreground including the pillow cover the prince leans on. Abrasions to pigment on the faces and figures of some of the ladies. Two tears, one on the lower left edge and one on the lower right edge of the image have been repaired.
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