- Title
- Maharana Ari Singh II of Udaipur (r. 1761-1773) and His Foster Brother Rupji Riding Together
- Date Made
- circa 1761-1762
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 12 1/2 x 17 3/4 in. (31.75 x 45.09 cm); Sheet: 15 1/4 x 21 in. (38.74 x 53.34 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.2003.214.2
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
This painting and its companion M.2003.214.1 are products of the royal atelier in Udaipur, Rajasthan. They belong to a rich tradition of royal Rajput portraiture that began at the Udaipur court during the reign of Jagat Singh I (r. 1628-1652) or perhaps under his son, Raj Singh I (r. 1653-1680). The paintings depict a regal display of martial and equestrian skills featuring Maharana Ari Singh II (r. 1761-1773). Probably painted in the first seven years of his reign while he was a prolific patron of painting and the arts, the works epitomize the ‘action portrait’ compositions of the period. Such images of the ruler’s expertise in riding, battle, and/or hunting were commissioned to demonstrate his bravery and right of leadership.
Here, Ari Singh II rides in tandem with one of his foster-brothers, most probably Rupji, who was the Maharana’s close companion. Three retainers race along behind the riders. Two attendants carry flywhisks, while the third carries the personified sun emblem of the former royal court of Mewar. Extant and painted examples of the Mewar solar standard typically feature a round face of the sun with elongated eyes, a prominent mustache, and sectarian markings on the forehead. The broad black areola can be made of black ostrich feathers or black felt. Metallic renditions of the Mewar solar symbol frequently embellished their palatial architecture (see M.2009.97). The identifying text in Hindi on the painting’s verso has yet to be translated.