Page 172 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art

396
A PORTRAIT OF MAHARAJA MADHO SINGH
OF JAIPUR
NORTHWEST INDIA, RAJASTHAN, JAIPUR,
ATTRIBUTED TO SAHIB RAM, CIRCA 1780
Image 8 x 6 in. (20.2 x 15.2 cm.)
folio 8√ x 6√ in. (22.4 x 17.5 cm.)

$7,000-9,000

PROVENANCE
Private collection, New York, 1980, by repute.
Sotheby’s New York, 16 March 2016, lot 870.

Maharaja Madho Singh (r.1750-1768) of Jaipur depicted
seated in profle, holding a mala (rosary) of white pearls
and emeralds in his right hand and a small mauve-colored
blossom in the other.

He wears multiple strands of pearls and emeralds over his
mauve and gold jama with matching jeweled pagri (turban)
bearing an elaborate aigrette ornament. He is shown half
length against a dark green background—his arm fexed over
a window frame.
The maharaja’s distinctive face with upturned curling
mustache, stippled ax-shaped sideburns and under-chin
shading is immediately recognizable. Idiosyncratic elements
like the abstracted nub in the inside of the eye (tinged with
red) and the curves and folds of the ear and nose all appear
to be consistent with known works by the artist Sahib Ram
(see M.E. Aitken, “Sahib Ram,” in M.C. Beach, E. Fischer,
B. N. Goswamy, “Masters of Indian Painting 1650-1900”,
Artibus Asiae, Sup 48 I/II, 2011, pp. 623-640).
Little is known biographically about Sahib Ram, the principle
artist associated with the royal suratkhana (workshop) active
during the reigns of Maharaja Madho Singh I and his son
395
Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh (r. 1778-1803). He was likely
the atelier master and held in high esteem by his patrons
as evidenced by the ffty bighas awarded to him in 1789—
THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE WEST COAST COLLECTOR
and his numerous servants and assistants. Sahib Ram’s
395
workshop appears to have been quite active producing
A PORTRAIT OF JALAM SINGH RIDING A PIEBALD STALLION numerous extant portraits and drawings—likely employing a
NORTHWEST INDIA, RAJASTHAN, JODHPUR, 1780-1790 sizable number of artist colleagues and subordinates.
Image 11√ x 9¿ in. (30.2 x 23.2 cm.)
folio 13 x 10Ω in. (33.0 x 26.7 cm.)
$2,000-3,000

PROVENANCE
Purchased from Maggs London, 1985, by repute.

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