156 - Late Mughal Empire Erotic Manuscript / Painting Inspired by the Kama Sutra, 18th Century CE - 19th Century CE
25.5 x 19 cm
10 1/8 x 7 1/2 in
Dimension given without frame
10 1/8 x 7 1/2 in
Dimension given without frame
MA.156
Mughal erotic manuscripts achieved fame when in the early 20th century a highly unusual series of forty works was donated to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, attributed to the Bikaner court...
Mughal erotic manuscripts achieved fame when in the early 20th century a highly unusual series of forty works was donated to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, attributed to the Bikaner court artist Ruknuddin and his studio, dated to 1687-98, and depicting Mughal and other rulers in erotic postures.
Imma Rammos (op. cit., below) argues that the transgressive inclusion of Mughal figures is a nod to close Rajput-Mughal relations. Maharajah Anup Singh of Bikaner (reg. 1669-98) campaigned widely in the Mughal armed forces, was made a general, and eventually had the title Maharajah bestowed on him by Aurangzeb. Thus the series is an illustration of the interaction of Hindu and Muslim political and artistic cultures, the rulers depicted in a context associated with both the Kama Sutra, but more specifically the Ananga Ranga of Kallyana Malla, a celebrated erotic text. The Ananga Ranga also suggests the use of illustrations of sexual postures (such as these paintings) to 'gladden the glance'. Albums of such works, therefore, were designed for private consumption in aristocratic circles, in an atmosphere of connoisseurship.
Blibliography: Imma Rammos, ' "Private Pleasures" of the Mughal Empire', available online at Art History, vol. 37, no. 3 (2014), pp. 409-427.
Imma Rammos (op. cit., below) argues that the transgressive inclusion of Mughal figures is a nod to close Rajput-Mughal relations. Maharajah Anup Singh of Bikaner (reg. 1669-98) campaigned widely in the Mughal armed forces, was made a general, and eventually had the title Maharajah bestowed on him by Aurangzeb. Thus the series is an illustration of the interaction of Hindu and Muslim political and artistic cultures, the rulers depicted in a context associated with both the Kama Sutra, but more specifically the Ananga Ranga of Kallyana Malla, a celebrated erotic text. The Ananga Ranga also suggests the use of illustrations of sexual postures (such as these paintings) to 'gladden the glance'. Albums of such works, therefore, were designed for private consumption in aristocratic circles, in an atmosphere of connoisseurship.
Blibliography: Imma Rammos, ' "Private Pleasures" of the Mughal Empire', available online at Art History, vol. 37, no. 3 (2014), pp. 409-427.