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Falcon
c. 1770
- Medium
- Gum tempera and gold on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Image: 27.6 x 16 cm (10 7/8 x 6 5/16 in.); Overall: 31.6 x 19.8 cm (12 7/16 x 7 13/16 in.)
- Culture
- Northern India, Pahari kingdoms
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Credit line
- Edward L. Whittemore Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
The imperial Mughal practice of keeping portraits of animals was adopted by art patrons and collectors in small states and kingdoms under the umbrella of the Mughals. Falconry, the sport of hunting small game with a bird of prey, was a popular activity among the highest ranks of Mughal royalty. The falcon depicted in this painting appears to be a peregrine. Cords with bells keep the trained hunting bird tethered to its roost.
