Page 77 - Indian and Himalayan Art, March 15, 2017 Sotheby's NYC

267

PROPERTY FROM THE LANIER COLLECTION

MAHARANA PRATAP SINGH II
PRESENTS GOLD COINS TO RAJ
SINGH II
India, Mewar, Udaipur, circa 1751-54

Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
image: 13¼ by 7½in. (33 by 17.8 cm)

PROVENANCE

Acquired 1977

Maharana Pratap Singh II (1724-54) of Mewar
stands nimbate (haloed) in a full-length muslin
Jama and orange Sisodia pagri (cap) holding a
ceremonial sword. He places gold coins into the
two reaching hands of his young son and eventual
successor, Raj Singh II (1743-1761). Both nearly
identically dressed with very similar beards. On a
red oral-pattern carpet against a blue wall with
gold niches - white marble columns frame the pair
at left and right. Below black and white checker-
board pattern steps leading to a predominantly
green and red oral carpet at bottom.

This is a very rare, or possibly unique, double-
portrait of the two least-often depicted (and
shortest-reigned) maharanas since the origin
of Mewar portraiture during the Seventeenth
Century. Rana Pratap reigned only for a brief
three years before dying at the age of 29 - the
throne of Udaipur ascended by Raj Singh II at
the youthful age of 10. In later portraits, after
his succession, Raj appears shaven, no longer
resembling the beard-style of his father - but his
face easily recognizable.

In two portraits of Raj Singh II riding a horse
and an elephant in the collection of the National
Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne (AS168-1980
and AS166-1980) we see the youthful equestrian
maharana with his pagri decorated with small
white narcissus blossoms as in our present
painting. For similar works, see Metropolitan
Museum of Art, accession no. 2004.40, and
National Gallery of Victoria, accession no. AS168-
1980.

$ 8,000-12,000

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INDIAN, HIMALAYAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN WORKS OF ART 75