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The Dussarah Durbar of His Highness Maharaja of Mysore — 1848-1849

The Dussarah Durbar of His Highness Maharaja of Mysore — 1848-1849

The Dussarah Durbar of His Highness Maharaja of Mysore — 1848-1849

F. C. Lewis

The Dussarah Durbar of His Highness Maharaja of Mysore — 1848-1849

size

23.2 x 33.0 in. / 58.9 x 83.8 cm.

medium

Engraving on paper

Composed by the colonial engraver F. C. Lewis, this plate depicts the Dussarah celebrations in the state of Mysore (contemporary Mysuru), in the aftermath of Tipu Sultan’s death and the establishment of a British resident at the royal court of the restored Wadiyar king, which signalled a loss of local sovereignty. But the celebrations—reproduced by Lewis through meticulous attention to the details of architecture and clothing—were an example of how political power was often staged through spectacles so that cordial relations could be managed with the subjugated. Curiously, the staged space in this engraving, which depicts the contemporary symbols of power, was replicated in a depiction of a scene from the epic Mahabharata in an Early Bengali Oil painting of Draupadi’s Vastraharan.
The Dussarah Durbar of His Highness Maharaja of Mysore — 1848-1849
The Dussarah Durbar of His Highness Maharaja of Mysore — 1848-1849
More Information
Art Artist Names Single F. C. Lewis

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