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Lot Essay
The tradition of large courtly scenic paintings in India is most commonly associated with the courts at Mewar. Their framing of architectural scenes developed from cloth paintings, but became more widely distributed as large, thick sheets of paper became more readily available. The architectural frames became the setting for grandiose scenes of animal combat and courtly exhibitions (Andrew Topsfield, Court Painting at Udaipur, 2001, p. 157).
While the painting is clearly influenced by the Mewar style, the pink palace setting would indicated that it was produced in Jaipur, known as the 'Pink City'. The raised style of the turbans worn by the crowds, which differ from those in Mewar, better resemble those found in Jaipur (see, for example, a portrait of Savai Madho Singh of Jaipur in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, acc.no. 15.84. and another in the National Gallery of Victoria, acc.no.AS199-1980). This would also suggest that this grand scene was produced in Jaipur.
In this spectacular scene, a ruler, possibly Sawai Jai Singh II, gazes over a buffalo tournament, eagerly watched by hundreds of figures. Within the central crowd that gathers around the buffalo are a cluster of figures wearing pointed headgear. These hats are reminiscent of the headgear of Nadir Shah who defeated the Mughal army and seized Delhi in 1739 (see a portrait of Nadir Shah in the Victoria and Albert Museum, inv.no. I.M. 20-1919). The presence of this headgear in this scene indicates that it was produced after Nadir Shah’s invasion in the mid-eighteenth century.
While the painting is clearly influenced by the Mewar style, the pink palace setting would indicated that it was produced in Jaipur, known as the 'Pink City'. The raised style of the turbans worn by the crowds, which differ from those in Mewar, better resemble those found in Jaipur (see, for example, a portrait of Savai Madho Singh of Jaipur in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, acc.no. 15.84. and another in the National Gallery of Victoria, acc.no.AS199-1980). This would also suggest that this grand scene was produced in Jaipur.
In this spectacular scene, a ruler, possibly Sawai Jai Singh II, gazes over a buffalo tournament, eagerly watched by hundreds of figures. Within the central crowd that gathers around the buffalo are a cluster of figures wearing pointed headgear. These hats are reminiscent of the headgear of Nadir Shah who defeated the Mughal army and seized Delhi in 1739 (see a portrait of Nadir Shah in the Victoria and Albert Museum, inv.no. I.M. 20-1919). The presence of this headgear in this scene indicates that it was produced after Nadir Shah’s invasion in the mid-eighteenth century.