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Details
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About
Portraits of the royal ruler and his associates were among the most popular of all Indian painting commissions. Under Mughal patronage, realistic portraits were preferred. However, they did not show concern for the effects of light and shade and instead emphasised the features of the face and clothing through detailed brush work.
Once the outward form and the accompanying pictorial motifs, like a sword or a book used to indicate the ruler’s attributes, triumphs or character were established by a master they were copied by others thus establishing a convention and an easily recognisable portrait of the ruler. In this way portraits of nobility and courtiers were made within an established set of standard compositions. These forms even survived into the Company School patronised by the British rulers and officers of the East India Company.
For instance, portraits set in the palace usually show the ruler against a plain background, standing looking out from a window, separated from his subjects, or relaxing seated against a bolster on a mat, maybe even smoking a hookah. In outdoor setting he might be seen mounted on a horse or elephant leading the hunt or battle as a sign of his power and leadership, as in this painting, or seated with a lover, holding a flower as a sign of his cultured and sensitive nature.
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Exhibition history
Shown in 1 exhibition
Rajput painting. Indian miniatures of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 03 Dec 1980–20 Dec 1980
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Bibliography
Referenced in 1 publication
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Rajput painting. Indian miniatures of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Sydney, Dec 1980. cat. no 15 or 16
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Provenance
Jim Masselos, 1980-2022, Sydney/New South Wales/Australia, purchased in Sydney. Donated to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, April 2022.
Margaretta Pos, 1970s, Sydney/New South Wales/Australia, purchased in India.
Macquarie Galleries, Dec 1980, Sydney/New South Wales/Australia, exhibited at Macquarie Galleries, 3-20 December 1980.