A STANDING PORTRAIT OF A RAJPUT RULER WITH FOUR ATTENDANTS
Possibly Mewar (Udaipur), Rajasthan, North-Western India, ca. 1840 – 1860

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the large vertical-format portrait depicting a Rajput ruler standing in the middle of the scene on a palatial terrace, wearing a typical red jama outfit and an upward-curved turban decorated with a gilt rosette at the top attached to a string running under the ruler's chin, holding a rose blossom in one hand and a tulwar sword in the latter, preceded and accompanied by two pairs of courtly maidens, the ones in the front carrying a golden tray with a burning candle, the ones at the back a small golden mace each and a rectangular gem-set golden box, the scene indicating the start of a ceremonial procession or ritual puja, set within concentric polychrome rules, and green and illuminated off-white borders, the reverse featuring a blue ownership stamp, the Devanagari characters now hardly readable, and an inventory label describing the scene in English, mounted on a double glazed frame, 45.5cm x 36.2cm including the frame.

Dimensions: 45.5cm x 36.2cm including the frame