Shamsher Sen of Mandi with a youth (1760–70): Art, History and Details

Shamsher Sen of Mandi with a youth (1760–70) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

In 1727, Shamsher Sen inherited the Pahari kingdom of Mandi. The artist has rendered him with an intense gaze directed at a man, possibly his lover, who greets him with respect. The ashes on his forehead and neck mark Shamsher Sen as a follower of the Hindu god Shiva. In his turban, alongside an array of flowers, he wears a whistle, announcing his participation in a religious order devoted to Shiva. The inscription in the lower border reads shri damyan, meaning “Honorable Minister,” since he ruled as a minister of the Hindu god Krishna. Pahari rulers often pledged loyalty to multiple divinities.

Object facts

• Title: Shamsher Sen of Mandi with a youth
• Date: 1760–70
• Culture: Northern India, Pahari Kingdom of Mandi
• Type: Painting
• Technique: Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Image: 16.5 x 13.9 cm (6 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.); Border: 20.3 x 17.6 cm (8 x 6 15/16 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 2012.302

A detail from the museum

Shamsher Sen wears a small silver whistle in his turban.

Collection credit

Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski

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.