A King Making Love in the Harem (c. 1720–30): Art, History and Details

A King Making Love in the Harem (c. 1720–30) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

From a series of paintings valorizing the virility of the ruler, this scene of lovemaking is set in the lavish interior space of the palace women’s quarters. Mauve floral carpet, gold lattice window, and vessels for wine and breath-freshening paan enhance the scene. The marble walls with gold flowering plants and niches appear gray in the dim evening light.

Object facts

• Title: A King Making Love in the Harem
• Date: c. 1720–30
• Culture: Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Jaipur
• Type: Painting
• Technique: gum tempera and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Page: 13.7 x 9.5 cm (5 3/8 x 3 3/4 in.); Miniature: 8.3 x 8.6 cm (3 1/4 x 3 3/8 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 2018.170

A detail from the museum

Two illuminated panels at top and bottom are decorated with gold and lapis lazuli.

Collection credit

Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.