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A Monumental Portrait of a Monkey

A work made of opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of opaque watercolor and gold on paper.

Date:

c. 1705–1710

Artist:

India
Rajasthan, Mewar, Udaipur, attributed to the “Stipple Master” (active c. 1692-c. 1715)

About this artwork

Except for depictions of the monkey-god Hanuman, monkeys are rarely the subject of portraits in India. In this monumental portrait, therefore, we are looking not only at an unusual subject matter but also at a study of an extraordinary simian: one with human features complete with a beard, pale eyes, and long, slender hands. The inscription on the back of this work, written in Devanagari, states that the monkey is named Husaini and “comes from” Nawab Davad (or Daud) Khan. This name most likely refers to Daud Khan Panni, a powerful nobleman and a faujdar (a military commander and territorial administrator) who served the Mughal emperors from Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707) through Farrukhsiyar (r. 1713–19), in various parts of India. The painting has been dated to 1705/10 and is attributed to the anonymous artist now called the Stipple Master. Working in tandem with his patron Maharana Amar Singh II of Mewar (r. 1698–1710), this artist was the initiator of a new painting style in Mewar in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. A group of about forty-six paintings, including the present work, has now been attributed to this artist-patron duo.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

A Monumental Portrait of a Monkey

Place

India (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1700–1715

Medium

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions

Outermost border: 48.5 × 58.7 cm (19 × 23 in.); Image: 45 × 56 cm (17 3/4 × 22 in.)

Credit Line

Lacy Armour Fund, James and Marilynn Alsdorf Acquisition Fund

Reference Number

2011.248

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/210511/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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