Maharaja Ram Singh was born in 1730 and ruled Jodhpur in Rajasthan for less than two years (1749-51). His arrogance antagonised all of his most powerful nobles, who sided with his uncle Bakhat Singh to overthrow him. He never regained the throne, and spent most of his life in exile in other parts of India. He died in Jaipur in 1773.
During his brief reign, many portraits of Ram Singh were produced, often following the same model as this one. The towering turbans were a Jodhpur fashion of the mid-18th century.