Maharana Sangram Singh hunting wild boar

INDIA, UDAIPUR, CIRCA 1720

Details

Maharana Sangram Singh hunting wild boar
India, Udaipur, circa 1720
With the king shown twice, first in a blind atop a hill with his companions observing the boar, then again in the grassy foreground when the boar has been captured and he is hunting it with bow and arrow, with several attendants and horses at left, the verso with an inscription
Opaque pigments and gold on paper
15½ x 12½ in. (39.3 x 31.8 cm.), image
17¾ x 15 in. (45 x 38 cm.), folio

Provenance

Private collection, London, acquired in 2007

Lot Essay

The hunt, as for many other Rajput princes, was an important activity for the rulers of Udaipur. Their favorite spot was just east of Udaipur and called Nahar Magra, meaning "Tiger Hill," though the prey of choice was, surprisingly, boar. The beasts would be driven from the forest by large throngs of beaters, and either shot as they fled or after they were contained in traps. The present work depicts the latter, with a boar caught in an elaborate weighted snare, while the Maharana and other nobles shoot at the helpless creature.

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