Between the 17th and 19th centuries, rulers of the kingdoms in the foothills of the Himalayas commissioned local painters to create works for their collections. Out of this arose a remarkable array of small, colourful works, including courtly scenes, lush landscapes and mythological paintings. The 40 works in this show mainly portray people in states of longing: for romance, divine connection or political power. Highlights include a depiction of Krishna playing with his gopis, or maidens, in the rushing waters of the Yamuna (c. 1770) and a painting of Prince Dalil Singh of Jammu astride a handsome bay horse (c. 1760). All the works on display come from the collection of Catherine Benkaim, a leading scholar of Pahari painting, and her husband Ralph Benkaim, who died in 2001; exhibitions of different Pahari paintings from the same collection are on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art (until 13 September) and the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. (18 April–26 July).
Find out more from the Cincinnati Art Museum’s website.
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