The Rajah Starting on a Hunt c. 1885

"The Rajah Starting on a Hunt" by Edwin Lord Weeks, painted around 1885, depicts a scene of a Rajah preparing to embark on a hunting expedition. The painting captures the grandeur of the Rajah's palace in India, showcasing the intricate architecture and the rich colors of the clothing worn by the figures. The presence of two cheetahs, trained for hunting, adds to the grandeur and the majestic nature of the scene, while the birds in the foreground create a sense of the everyday life that surrounds the Rajah's world. Weeks, an American painter known for his Orientalist subjects, captured the allure and exoticism of India in his paintings, often portraying the lives of the wealthy and the powerful in the region.