Raja Dhrub Dev  thumbnail 1
Raja Dhrub Dev  thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Raja Dhrub Dev

Painting
ca. 1740 (made), ca. 1750 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

On the left, a ruler is seated on a white marble terrace; identified as Raja Dhrub Dev in the inscription. The soft and limited colour palette create a sensitive portrayal of the figure. On the right, five attendants stand near a horse, each engrossed in their task. Two are holding up a white sheet to frame the figure of a horse standing in the foreground. One controls the horse, while the final two bear torches aloft. The recognisable work of the painter Nainsukh is evident on the right, with the detailed and meticulous details awarded these subsidiary characters. This painting consists of two painted halves, joined together near the centre creating an integral work where the balustrade of the terrace extends into across the join. Whether or not more than one artist was involved in its production remains to be confirmed.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleRaja Dhrub Dev (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted in opaque watercolour on paper
Brief description
Painting, Raja Dhrub Dev examining a horse by moonlight, righthand side by Nainsukh, Jammu, left hand side ca. 1740, right hand side ca. 1750
Physical description
Painting, in opaque watercolour on paper, in two parts, depicting a Raja, Dhrub Dev of Jasrota, examining the points of a horse by moonlight.
Dimensions
  • Height: 270mm (maximum)
  • Width: 407mm (maximum)
  • Image inside innermost painted border height: 232mm
  • Image inside innermost painted border width: 379mm
19/06/2013 dimensions measured as part of Indian Paintings Cataloguing Project 2013; object irregular in shape
Content description
A Raja, Dhrub Dev of Jasrota, examining the points of a horse by moonlight.
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
(handwritten on object)
Translation
'Dewan Dhrub Dev shown looking at a horse at night, seated on the terrace of the inner Dewankhana'
Transliteration
'davan drub de ghora dikhda likheya da rati andarle diwankhane de chabutre bahi'
Credit line
Purchased with the assistance of Lady Rothenstein and Art Fund
Object history
Previously in the Rothenstein Collection.
Subjects depicted
Summary
On the left, a ruler is seated on a white marble terrace; identified as Raja Dhrub Dev in the inscription. The soft and limited colour palette create a sensitive portrayal of the figure. On the right, five attendants stand near a horse, each engrossed in their task. Two are holding up a white sheet to frame the figure of a horse standing in the foreground. One controls the horse, while the final two bear torches aloft. The recognisable work of the painter Nainsukh is evident on the right, with the detailed and meticulous details awarded these subsidiary characters. This painting consists of two painted halves, joined together near the centre creating an integral work where the balustrade of the terrace extends into across the join. Whether or not more than one artist was involved in its production remains to be confirmed.
Bibliographic references
  • Reproduced Coomaraswamy, "Rajput Painting, II, Pl XXXIII. Archer: 1952 and 1973. Goswamy, BN. Nainsukh of Guler. Zurich, 1997.
  • Indian paintings from the Punjab Hills : a survey and history of Pahari miniature painting / by W. G. Archer ; foreword by Sherman E. Lee. London :Delhi: Sotheby Parke Bernet ;Oxford University Press, 1973 Number: 0856670022 p. pp. 200-201, cat. no. 35.
  • Irwin, John C., Indian Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1968 pl. 48
Collection
Accession number
IS.188-1951

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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