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A Couple Seated Against Two Pillows Making Love

c. 1700-10

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

Erotic paintings were commissioned by the patrons of painting, at times for educational purposes, mostly for pleasure. The artists would seek inspiration for the peculiar sexual positions from ancient texts such as Kamasutra and Kokashastra. In the painting, a woman rests on the lap of her paramour while their position is supported by two large bolsters put against the wall.

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  • Title: A Couple Seated Against Two Pillows Making Love
  • Date Created: c. 1700-10
  • Physical Dimensions: Page: 21.2 x 18.1 cm (8 3/8 x 7 1/8 in.); Image: 18.1 x 16.4 cm (7 1/8 x 6 7/16 in.)
  • Provenance: Ralph Benkaim [1914–2001], Beverly Hills, CA, by bequest to his wife Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer, Beverly Hills, CA, partial sale and gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2018.110
  • Medium: gum tempera on paper
  • Inscriptions: asēm (?)
  • Fun Fact: Yellow pigment has been used for jewelry instead of gold.
  • Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Culture: Northern India, Himachal Pradesh, Pahari Kingdom of Chamba
  • Credit Line: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
  • Collection: Indian Art
  • Accession Number: 2018.110
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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