Page 92 - Indian and Himalayan Art Mar 21, 2018 NYC

352
DYNASTIC PORTRAIT OF THE RULERS
OF JAIPUR
JAIPUR, NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1760-70
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper,
red devanagari identifcation inscriptions, corners
fxed to mount
16√ x 12¡ in. (43 x 31 cm.)
$30,000-50,000

PROVENANCE
Sotheby’s London, 8 October 1979, no. 91.
Dynastic portraits were popularized by the Mughal
emperors to reinforce the legitimacy of their rule. It
is no surprise that a number of the princely states
adopted the same idea so one can fnd examples
from the courts that were closest politically to the
Mughals, whether Muslim in Lucknow or Hindu
in Jaipur, copied the idea. The formula, as here, is
to represent all the rulers equally with the central
fgure either the founder of the dynasty or the
current incumbent. Everything about the painting
demonstrates the closeness to the Mughal court.
Even the plain white panels with black borders in
the pavilion represent the marble panels of the
Diwan-i Khas or Sheesh Mahal in the Jai Mandir in
the City Palace, carved completely in the Mughal
taste in the 17th century. The carpet in the pavilion
is one of the famous Jaipur Mughal carpets from
the same period, many of which have inventory
records dating to the seventeenth century. The
351
whole painting is a political statement, confrming
both the direct and the indirect lineage of the
351 current ruler, Madho Singh I.
PORTRAIT OF MAHARAJA MADHO SINGH OF JAIPUR (R.1750-1768)
It is interesting to compare this dynastic portrait
BY RAM JI, JAIPUR, NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 1760-70
Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper, short red devanagari signature below, with one that appears very similar, sold at Sotheby’s
devanagari and nasta’liq identifcation inscriptions on reverse Parke Bernet, 15 December 1978, lot 128. The
10Ω x 6º in. (26.8 x 15.9 cm.) layout is identical there, but there are more fgures,
refecting the fact that it was painted in around
$2,000-3,000
1810. The pavilion is very similar but the main
diference is the foorcloth on which they sit and
PROVENANCE
Purchased from the estate of Joan Peters Caro, Chicago. the carpet in the pavilion. Both show a clear link
to European carpet design; only four decades later
Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I was the younger son of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II and came to the Jaipur power rests on European not on Mughal
the throne of the powerful state of Jaipur after the sudden death of his elder brother. He was very support and the fgures in their proportions are a
interested in the arts, founding the city of Sawai Madhopur and building several palaces including little bit less prominent, a little less erect in their
the Madho Niwas in the City Palace. He also rejuvenated the painting atelier proving an active kneeling positions. The present painting shows
patron. His power was so great that, as depicted here, even lions shielded their eyes from his glory. Jaipur power still proud and strong.

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