Royal Hunting Scenes in Indian Paintings Examined at Cleveland Museum Exhibition

The Cleveland Museum of Art is presenting an exhibition titled 'A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur' from June 11 to September 10, 2023. The show features hunting scenes from 18th- and 19th-century India, specifically from the Rajput court in Udaipur, Rajasthan. These artworks depict royal hunts as expressions of political authority, military readiness, and righteous rule, connecting rulers to the divine hero Rama. The exhibition also explores how British colonial rule later restricted hunting practices and repurposed ancestral grounds, impacting Rajput royal identity. The presentation is organized in collaboration with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art and Udaipur's City Palace Museum.