Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
How to capture the moods of palace nights? The painter Shambhu “unfolds” the walls of an elegant courtyard to take us inside a gleaming white palace.
We see the king worshiping in the upper right corner. Below him, we can easily find his two favorite dancers, brightly dressed in orange and red robes. Shambhu depicts tall candles that light up the performance—and his self-portrait! He places himself below the dancers, just to the right of the central pool. The rolled-up sheet of paper in his hand suggests that he came to the palace to observe and sketch the evening’s events.
Immerse yourself in the palace nightlife, through an ambient soundscape created by Amit Dutta exclusively for this exhibition.
A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur will be on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art from November 19, 2022 through May 14, 2023. For more information, visit: https://asia.si.edu/exhibition/a-splendid-land-paintings-from-royal-udaipur/
Video directed and edited by Amit Dutta. Animation by Vatsal.
Image: Maharana Ari Singh II at worship in the City Palace, Shambhu, 1765, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 67 × 53 cm / National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1986.7
It's our centennial year! Join us and be part of #TheNext100. To learn more about the museum’s centennial celebrations, visit: https://asia.si.edu/centennial
asia.si.edu
#SmithsonianAsianArt
How to capture the moods of palace nights? The painter Shambhu “unfolds” the walls of an elegant courtyard to take us inside a gleaming white palace.
We see the king worshiping in the upper right corner. Below him, we can easily find his two favorite dancers, brightly dressed in orange and red robes. Shambhu depicts tall candles that light up the performance—and his self-portrait! He places himself below the dancers, just to the right of the central pool. The rolled-up sheet of paper in his hand suggests that he came to the palace to observe and sketch the evening’s events.
Immerse yourself in the palace nightlife, through an ambient soundscape created by Amit Dutta exclusively for this exhibition.
A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur will be on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art from November 19, 2022 through May 14, 2023. For more information, visit: https://asia.si.edu/exhibition/a-splendid-land-paintings-from-royal-udaipur/
Video directed and edited by Amit Dutta. Animation by Vatsal.
Image: Maharana Ari Singh II at worship in the City Palace, Shambhu, 1765, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 67 × 53 cm / National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1986.7
It's our centennial year! Join us and be part of #TheNext100. To learn more about the museum’s centennial celebrations, visit: https://asia.si.edu/centennial
asia.si.edu
#SmithsonianAsianArt
