Lot 290
- 290
Maharana Sarup Singh of Mewar in a palace courtyard with attendants and horsemen, attributable to the artist Tara, India, Udaipur, circa 1850
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description
- gouache, ink, gold on paper
gouache heightened with gold on paper, red and blue ruled borders, devanagari inscription to upper border, verso with numbering and 12 lines of devanagari script identifying the Maharana Sarup Singh, various other figures and the artist Tara
Condition
In very good overall condition, colours vivid and gold bright, a few small paint losses to red outer margins, as few thumb prints visible at lower right edge of painting, as viewed.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
This monumental painting is not only a sumptuous display of Mewari jewellery and textiles but is an interesting visual record of courtly activities during the reign of Maharana Sarup Singh (r.1842-61). Here Sarup Singh is shown with his green and gold nimbus, seated within a courtyard at the City Palace in Udaipur, surrounded by his courtiers, their immaculate white jamas stained by the coloured powder used during the festival of holi. In the foreground three stallions are being presented to the maharana, recalling a painting by the famous Udaipur court artist Tara in the Metropolitan Museum dated 1845-46 (acc. no.2001.344) and a painting from 1851 in the City Palace Museum, Udaipur of Maharana Sarup Singh playing holi on horseback (see Topsfield 1990, p.85, nos.30-31). Sarup Singh was apparently rather skilled at throwing gulal, the coloured powder used during the festival. This is displayed in another painting by Tara from 1850 in the National Gallery of Victoria and in pictures set into the walls of the Kanch ki Burj apartments of the City Palace. (ibid. p.87).
Tara, the leading painter in Sarup Singh's court was renowned for his large-scale paintings, use of formal perspective, attention to detail and bold palette. From the 1850s onwards Tara and his sons were exposed to early experiments in photography, with his younger son Mohanlal, becoming a well-known photographer in the 1870s.
Tara, the leading painter in Sarup Singh's court was renowned for his large-scale paintings, use of formal perspective, attention to detail and bold palette. From the 1850s onwards Tara and his sons were exposed to early experiments in photography, with his younger son Mohanlal, becoming a well-known photographer in the 1870s.