A NIGHT SCENE: A VAISHNAVA RAJPUT PRINCE SITTING UNDER A PAVILION SURROUNDED BY CANDLELIGHT
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE LONDON COLLECTOR
Rajasthan, North-Western India, 19th century

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on wove paper, the vertical composition depicting a Rajput prince knelt on a terrace under a pavilion surrounded by numerous candles, possibly performing a puja before an important event or battle, his right hand clenched onto his tulwar sword resting on his shoulder, the left hand stroking a white noose, his orange robe marked with several golden eyes, his forehead showing the typical urdhva pundra, the tilak worn by Vishnu's devotees, set within plain thicker paper borders, 30.3cm x 20.4cm.