Maharaja Bakhat Singh
This portrait, one of the finest from eighteenth-century Rajasthan, was painted at Nagaur Fort in the kingdom of Marwar. The subject, Bakhat Singh (1706–1752), younger brother of Marwar’s ruler, was appointed governor of the fort, within which he constructed a pleasure palace decorated with elegant floral designs. Widely known as an accomplished poet and patron of the arts, he helped foster a culture of painting and poetry at the fort that flourished for twenty years. Seen here poised at an audience window (jharoka), he rests one hand on the carpeted windowsill and holds in the other a fragrant rose, the quintessential pose for a connoisseur. Royal portraits were routinely used as diplomatic gifts between courts, likely the purpose of this work.
Artwork Details
- Title: Maharaja Bakhat Singh
- Date: ca. 1735
- Culture: India, Rajasthan, Marwar, Nagaur
- Medium: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 17 1/8 × 12 in. (43.5 × 30.5 cm)
Framed: 17 3/4 × 23 1/8 × 1 1/8 in. (45.1 × 58.7 × 2.9 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Howard Hodgkin Collection, Purchase, Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, by exchange, 2022
- Object Number: 2022.238
- Rights and Reproduction: Image © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.