THE DUTIES OF A MAHARAJA
Jodhpur School, Rajasthan, North-Western India, mid to late 19th century

Opaque pigments and ink heightened with gold on wove paper, the vertical-format composition divided into two different chronological registers, the scene on the upper right corner depicting a Rajput Maharaja in conversation with his beloved on a palatial terrace, underneath them two courtiers portrayed debating and pointing to a group of horses and an elephant with a mahout, possibly a reference to an official ceremonial procession or military expedition, acting as a reminder of the Rajput rulers' duties, portrayed in a typical Rajasthani palatial setting, the reverse with an inscription in black ink Devanagari script and later-added inventory numbers and pencil annotations, 23.1cm x 18cm.