Baba Bharath Singh Undressed
Companion to Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2004-149-55
Artist/maker unknown, India
Geography:
Made in Udaipur, Rajasthan, Mewar Region, India, Asia
Date:
c. 1750Medium:
Opaque watercolor and gold on paperDimensions:
17 1/4 x 9 13/16 inches (43.8 x 24.9 cm)Curatorial Department:
Indian and Himalayan ArtObject Location:
2004-149-56Credit Line:
125th Anniversary Acquisition. Alvin O. Bellak Collection, 2004
Made in Udaipur, Rajasthan, Mewar Region, India, Asia
Date:
c. 1750Medium:
Opaque watercolor and gold on paperDimensions:
17 1/4 x 9 13/16 inches (43.8 x 24.9 cm)Curatorial Department:
Indian and Himalayan ArtObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:2004-149-56Credit Line:
125th Anniversary Acquisition. Alvin O. Bellak Collection, 2004
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This unflattering portrayal of the Mewar nobleman Baba Bharath Singh stripped to his underpants lacks any sense of dignity, unlike his dressed image (see the link above). This rare pair of portraits may well reflect the actual discrediting of Baba Bharath Singh at the Mewar court, where he was once powerful and respected. In the late 1740s Baba Bharath Singh was implicated in an unsuccessful plot to kill the rightful ruler, Maharana Jagat Singh II, and usurp the throne. These two paintings may have been intended to humiliate Baba Bharath Singh in return for his treachery.
