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Lot Essay
Maharaja Madho Singh (r.1750-1768) of Jaipur depicted seated in profile, 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 flexed 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 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 fifty bighas awarded to him in 1789 - and his numerous servants and assistants. Sahib Ram's workshop appears to have been quite active producing numerous extant portraits and drawings - likely employing a sizable number of artist colleagues and subordinates.
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 flexed 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 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 fifty bighas awarded to him in 1789 - and his numerous servants and assistants. Sahib Ram's workshop appears to have been quite active producing numerous extant portraits and drawings - likely employing a sizable number of artist colleagues and subordinates.