A Tiger Hunt

The dense wooded landscape of eastern Rajasthan provided continuous inspiration to the painters who served the Kota court. Maharao Umed Singhji (r. 1771–1819) ruled Kota only in name, his power having been largely usurped by a powerful minister, and he devoted much of his energies to hunting; large-scale hunt paintings such as this example were a regular feature of his reign. Here we see a line of beaters, at extreme right, driving two tigers into a netted corral, trapping them in range of the maharao’s guns. Two treetop gun positions (machan) are depicted; the second shows noblemen firing at the two boars in their sights while frightened deer rush to escape. The drama of these events is heightened by the theatrical treatment of landscape, from the dense, threatening woods to the sinous trees: all is chaos and danger. The dedication inscribed on the reverse names at least six of the noblemen who participated in the hunt and records the date.