Raja Gulab Singh c. 1830–40 India, Jammu Color on paper Overall: 19.8 x 13.8 cm (7 13/16 x 5 7/16 in.) Gift of J. H. Wade 1925.1338 DESCRIPTION Gulab Singh (1792-1857) was a powerful ruler of the Sikhs, members of a monotheistic religion founded by Guru Nanak (1469-1539) in the northern Indian region of the Punjab. Often in conflict with the Mughals, they rejected the more naturalistic Mughal portrait styles. Sikh rulers in the Punjab and the neighboring Himalayan foothill region of Jammu adopted the mode of courtly portraiture that was current among the Rajputs, who were rulers of Hindu regions and principalities of northern and western India. The umbrella held over his head is a millennia-old marker of royalty, and beginning in the 1700s, the hookah was an emblem of power among the Rajputs. PROVENANCE ?-1925 Ananda K. Coomaraswamy [1877-1947] sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1925- The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH CITATIONS Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. cat. no. 138 EXHIBITION HISTORY Indian Gallery 242 Rotation – April-November 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 10-November 6, 2017).