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An emperor visits Tulsidas

National Museum of Asian Art

Object Details

Artist
Attributed to Master of the Jagged Water's Edge
Court
Mewar Court
School/Tradition
Rajput school
Label
The lower part of this painting depcits Muazzam Shah Alam, a Mughal prince, visiting Tulsidas, the poet and saint who authored a 16th-century version of the Ramayana (Story of Rama). The inscription, written in a dialect of Hindi called Braj, says that the prince asked Tulsidas why Hindus worship stones. Tulsidas quoted from his poem, the Kavitavali (Necklace of Poems), which tells the story of Prahlad, a boy who worshipped Rama (a form of Vishnu) despite his father's opposition. Challenged by his father, who asked "Where is Rama?" the boy answered "He is everywhere." "Is he in this pillar?" the father asked. "Yes," the boy said. Then as depicted in the upper register, Narasimha, the man-lion form of Vishnu, jumped out and attacked the father until the boy asked him to stop. Tulsidas explained that this incident convinced people that god is everywhere, and since that time they have worshipped stones.
Provenance
By 1972
Switzerland, by 1972 [1]
To 1986
Spink & Son, Ltd., London, to 1986
From 1986
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Spink & Son, Ltd. in 1986
Notes:
[1] According to correspondence in the object file, Douglas Barrett, formerly Keeper of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum, confirmed that he had seen and examined this
object in Switzerland in 1972 (see Curatorial Note 6 in object record).
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur (November 19, 2022 to May 14, 2023)
Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)
South and South East Asian Art (May 9, 1993 to February 7, 2000)
Previous custodian or owner
Spink & Son Ltd. (established 1666)
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
1710-1712
Period
Sisodia dynasty, Reign of Amar Singh II
Accession Number
F1986.13
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 49.2 × 44.6 cm (19 3/8 × 17 9/16 in)
H x W x D (exhibition frame): 73.6 × 63.5 × 4.4 cm (29 × 25 × 1 3/4 in)
Origin
Udaipur, Rajasthan state, Mewar, India
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Topic
Sisodia dynasty (861 - 1947)
poet
India
prince
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Record ID
fsg_F1986.13
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3aed0e907-3788-4fa2-9436-e89963cf7dd4

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