PRINCE BHUPAL SINGH (R. 1930 - 1955) AND HIS TEACHERS
PROPERTY FROM THE DEXTER COLLECTION
Attributed to Liladhar, Udaipur, Rajasthan, North-Western India, ca. 1901

Opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper, the vertical composition a well-known portrait of the young Rajput prince Bhupal Singh (1884 - 1955), Udaipur ruler in 1930 and Rajpramukh of Rajasthan from 1948 until 1955, being lectured by his faithful teachers, the prince seated on a chair, the stiffness of his pose possibly due to his paralysis following an episode of polio, an illness he contracted at the age of 15, each character wearing a distinctive turban of different colour, the first teacher in the foreground wearing a typical Sikh turban and seated next to his sword, the scene set within black and white rules, and cobalt blue, yellow and bright red borders, the recto with three private property stamps and one Museum property stamp, 30.3cm x 22.7cm.

Our painting, though slightly smaller in size, is almost identical to a portrait of Bhupal Singh attributed to the painter Liladhar and dated circa 1901, featuring in the extensive collection of Indian portraits of the Indian art connoisseur Anil Relia (over 3000 exemplars). The painting is published online and in his catalogue The Indian Portrait I - an artistic journey from miniature to modern (http://www.theindianportrait.com/artwork/prince-bhupal-singh/).

Anil Relia attributes the work to the artist Liladhar, the son of Mohanlal, grandson of Tara and nephew of master painter Shivalal. The painting acts like a photograph of the time, recording facts and people in a very realistic way. Bhopal Singh is here portrayed next to Purohit Akshaynath (purple turban), who used to teach him Mewadi and Sanskrit. The Sikh gentleman in the front is Bhishan Singh, who taught the prince sword fighting, horse riding, hunting and royal etiquette. To the left of the prince, there is his caretaker (dhabhai). Paintings like this became more and more common in the 20th century, ignited by the modern thrust produced by the circulation of black and white photography.

The reverse of the painting presents three property stamps, of respectively Bhanwar Devendra Singh, Bh. Suraya Vijay Singh Shekhawat and Kumar Sangram Singh (no. 156), all of Nawalgarh. The fourth stamp is marked in red with the letters "Museum" (Kumar Sangram Singh Museum ?). Kumar Sangram Singh of Nawalgarh was a renowned art collector and connoisseur. He organised two exhibitions and published catalogues of his collection, 250 years of Jaipur: an exhibition of Dhundhar painting - from Raja Man Singh to Sawai Man Singh (1977 - 1978) and Catalogue of Indian miniature paintings (collection of Kumar Sangram Singh of Nawalgarh) - an exhibition in the Rajasthan University Library (1965). A standing portrait of Rao Raja Bhim Singh of Uniara, sold at Christie's London, 12 June 2018, lot 13, presented the exact same property stamps of the three above-mentioned Nawalgarh collectors.