Tiger Hunt of Ram Singh II

A tiger leaps from grey cliffs as shots come from the river below. Men with a firebrand and noisemakers have driven it out of the forest; on the right, others hold bears at bay. In two boats, women and musicians watch. Drummers and horn players announce the kill.

The inscription in white Devanagari along the top margin says, in translation, that Maharao Ram Singh is hunting tigers and bears while riding in a boat. He ruled the small Rajput kingdom of Kota from 1826 to 1866.

The cliffs that define Kota’s country take up most of the picture. The sheet is wide, about 25 by 49 centimetres, room for the whole hunt at once: beaters, guns, bears, boats and audience.