Indian and Himalayan Art Baba Bharath Singh Undressed Companion to Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2004-149-55 Made in Udaipur, Rajasthan, Mewar Region, India, Asiac. 1750 Artist/maker unknown, India Opaque watercolor and gold on paper Currently not on view 2004-149-56 125th Anniversary Acquisition. Alvin O. Bellak Collection, 2004 |
LabelThis 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. |
