A King Attending a Purification Ceremony (painting, recto; painting, verso), illustration from a Ramayana series

The painting depicts a type of purification ceremony for a male youth, possibly a prince. He sits in a white, square basin while a male figure adds water to the inside of the structure. Steam, represented by gold lines, emerges from the structure. Kneeling in front of the youth is a king with his hands clasped in prayer. He wears a long white garland of flowers and a bow over his left shoulder. A quiver rests against his back. Behind the king is a priest holding out prayer beads. This double-sided folio possibly belongs to a Ramayana manuscript produced in Sirohi. Other folios from the same manuscript in the Harvard Art Museums’ collections are 1973.164, 1973.165, 1973.166.A, 1973.167, 1973.168.A, 1973.168.B, 1973.169, 1973.170.A, 1973.170.B, 1973.171. Rajput, Rajasthani, Sirohi School.