Lady with a Hookah Attended by a Maid

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Lady with a Hookah Attended by a Maid

Place of OriginIndia, Kangra

Dateabout 1810-1815

Dimensions10 7/16 x 7 11/16 in. (26.5 x 19.5 cm) [dealer]

MediumOpaque watercolor with gold on paper

ClassificationDrawings

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the bequest of Margaret E. Crowe in memory of her parents Jenny Lind and John George Eirich and with funds given by Emma Leah Bippus in memory of Gertrude Easton and by an anonymous donor

Object number

2010.52

Not on View

Label TextAn elegant woman clad in sumptuous jewelry, a flowing yellow saree, and a purple and gold shawl stands on a white terrace surrounded by gardens of pink and orange flowers. With one hand on her hip and the mouthpiece of a hookah (a water pipe) in the other, she turns her head toward an attending maid who holds the hookah’s gold bowl. The artist places the wealthy woman prominently at the center of the composition and her much smaller attendant at the paper’s edge to contrast the social status of the women. This serene painting’s subdued color palette and delicate floral motifs are characteristic of the style associated with the paintings of the Kangra region of India, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. The style flourished under the dedicated patronage of Kangra’s ambitious ruler Raja Sansar Chand (ruled 1775–1823), who amassed an extensive art collection. The themes most often associated with painters from this region include depictions of love derived from Hindu and secular texts, and, as seen here, images of courtly women’s daily lives.Published Referencesc.f. There is a comparable example of Lady with Narcissus in the Victoria and Albert Museum (IS125/1955) ex J.C. French collection. The painting measures 25.5 x 16.7 cms. And is published in W. G. Archer, Indian Painting from the Punjab Hills, 1973, vol. II, no. 59.Exhibition History

Toledo Museum of Art, Fun & Games: The Pursuit of Leisure, Jun. 27-Sept. 21, 2014.