56-57 / 176
57
56
Nagaur was one of the centres of the Marwar school of
painting which was at its zenith under the patronage of Bakhat
Singh, who ruled Nagaur from 1724‒1751 and Jodhpur from
1751‒1752. Bakhat Singh received the
jagir
of Nagaur from
his elder brother Abhai Singh, in appreciation for his help in
deposing their father from the throne of Jodhpur.
The present lot, an intricately detailed battle scene, shows the
advance of Bakhat Singh’s army, possibly against his nephew
in 1751. Bakhat Singh often commissioned larger than usual
paintings to record important events in his life. The size of
the work reflects the importance of the occasion. Seated on
a royal horse, he leads an impressive battle formation that
includes soldiers as well as a full cavalry of horses, camels
and elephants. Typical of the Marwar school is the way the
subdued foreground is broken by a hillock in mid‒ground.
Another part of the battalion is shown beyond the horizon
line, creating an added sense of scale to the might of the
grand army. Stylised swirling clouds, another feature typical
of this school, add to the dynamism and movement of this
striking work.
For the likeness of Bakhat Singh, compare with two earlier
portraits from the Howard Hodgkin Collection, London,
and the Goenka Collection, Mumbai, as seen in Andrew
Topsfield and Milo C Beach eds.,
Indian Painting and Drawing
from the Collection of Howard Hodgkin,
London: Thames and
Hudson, 1992, pp. 72‒73 (both illustrated). A related painting
of Bakhat Singh on horseback by Dalchand, formerly in
the Sven Gahlin Collection, was sold at Sotheby’s London,
6 October 2015, lot 57.
29
MAHARAJA BAKHAT SINGH OF
NAGAUR PROCEEDING FOR BATTLE
NAGAUR, CIRCA 1750
Gouache on paper heightened with gold
Image: 17 x 24.75 in (43.2 x 63 cm)
Folio: 17.75 x 25.75 in (45.4 x 65.8 cm)
Rs 50,00,000 ‒ 70,00,000
$ 74,630 - 104,480
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
The Motichand Khajanchi Collection