gouache on paper, narrow ruled yellow and red borders

"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This illustration could be the work of the Bikaner court artist Ustad Rashid. An eighteenth century miniature with the same treatment of the mango tree attributed to Ustad Rashid is published in H. Goetz, The Art and Architecture of Bikaner State, Oxford, 1950, no.79.

The painting shows influence of the Deccani school of painting, particularly in the rendering of the faces and the eyes, which can be compared to contemporary Golconda work (see illustration of a dancing girl formerly in the Stuart Cary Welch collection illustrated in Zebrowski 1983, fig.177; Leach 1995, fig.9.644 and Sotheby's London, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection, Part Two, 31 May 2011, lot 14). The Deccani influence on Bikaner pain✤ting followed the participation of Bikaner Raja Karan Singh (r.1631-69) and his son Anup Singh (r.1669-98) in the Mughal campaign in the Deccan, with Deccani paintings and artists being brought back to the Bikaner court.  

On the reverse of the painting is an inscription recording the ac☂cession of the painting into the royal collection. The inscription reads:

Am. 7 Sam 1759 asadha sudi 7

'No. 7 [gift] 7^th day of the br𓆉ight half of Asadha Samvat 1759 (AD 1702)'

The date of presentation was shortly into the reign of the minor Raja Sujan Singh (1700-36), when painterly interest was concentrated on a now dispersed Bhagavata Purana series. Above the accession inscription is a partially hidden inscription containing the words …ro bete ro (‘daughter of ..?). Below the accession inscription is a✨ collection stamp of the Maharajah of Bikaner, dated 1964.