Rajasthani painting . class 12

Rajasthani painting,

1. RAJASTHANI
MINIATURE
PAINTING
UNIT - 1
CBSE - XII

2. Origin & Development
Of
Rajasthani School
Rajasthani School was a continuation of old Indian tradition. This art
was developed under the Rajput kings. In the beginning, this school
had Mughal influence, but later it was established as a purely Indian
art having no Mughal influence. Rajasthani School did not originate
as miniature, but it was primarily a mural art.
During the attack of Mughals, the whole Rajasthan was affected but
Mewar remained safe till the end. So, Rajasthani School flourished
first in Mewar. Later, it flourished in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bundi,
Kishangarh, Bikaner and other places of Rajasthan. Kishan Singh
ruled at Kishangarh. After Kishan Singh, Raja Sawant Singh’s son
Raja Raj Singh ruled Kishangarh and art reached its climax. Raja
Sawant Singh was also a very famous king of Kishangarh. Rajasthan
was a place of ‘Raja’ (Kings) or place of ‘States’. That’s why it was
known as Rajasthan.
Rajasthani Art had purely Hindu feelings and had Indian sensibility.

3. • Variety in Themes : There is a great variety in themes of Rajasthani Paintings. Themes are based on seasons, music, hunting scenes,
religious themes like Ramayana, Mahabharata etc., love scenes, rag mala series etc. In love scenes, Krishna
and Radha have been depicted.
• Colour Scheme : The main colours used are the primary colours (red, yellow & blue),
green, brown and white. Other colours in use are golden and silver.
• Costumes : Females are wearing Lehanga and Choli with Transparent Dupatta. Males
are wearing turbans and Jhoba (a group of threads), pyjama and Patka.
• Facial features : Faces are full of emotions and feelings according to the mood. The faces are in profile, elongated and oval,
the forhead is inclining downwards, long and
pointed nose, swelling out lips and pointed chin.
• Depiction of women : The women of Kishangarh School are very impressive.
• Lines : The lines are very fine, powerful and rhythmic.
• Depiction of Nature : Nature has also been depicted very beautifully. Different types
of trees, floral trees, mountains, water springs and lakes have been depicted in a very attractive manner.
The Main Characteristics or features of Rajasthani School
of
Miniature Painting.

4. Rajasthani Paintings list
Paintings Name Artist NameSub School Name
Maru Ragini Sahibdin Mewar
Raja Anirudh Singh Hara Utkal Ram Bundi
Chaugan Players Dana Jodhpur
Krishna on Swing Nuruddin Bikaner
Radha ( Bani Thani) Nihal Chand Kishangarh
Bharat meets Rama at
Chitrakut
Guman Jaipur

5. Paintings

6. Maru Ragini
Artist - Sahibdin
Medium - Water colour on Tempera
Circa - 17th century
Collection - National Museum New Delhi, India.

Maru Ragini is an important miniature painting of ragamala
series. painted by sahibdin a courtier painter of Mewar.
• In this painting of 18th century the king and queen are
shown riding on a camel back in desert background.
•The apparels have been shown transparent and decorated with
adornment.
•The camel is shown in running position and fully decorated
according to status of riders.
•An attendant is proceeding ahead of camel, while two male
escorts with swords, Lance's and spears and draggers have
been shown in motion.
•A white hound has been shown running ahead both of escorts.
•In the back ground to show winding surfaces, green yellow
colours have been used with proper effect .
•All the human figures have been shown wearing deep coloured
apparels and turbans of mughal style on their heads. The
kings turban has been shown different from all other turbans .
•The painting belongs to sub school of Mewar and has been
bounded by simple border of orange colour.
•The calligraphic work in devanagari script has also been done
on top of painting.
Sub School :- Mewar (Rajasthan)
Maru Ragini is an important miniature painting of
Ragmala series painted by Sahibdin a court painter
of Mewar. In this painting of 18th century the king
and queen are shown riding on a camel back in
yellow desert background. The camels shown in
running position and fully decorated according to
status of riders.

7. Raja Aniruddha singh Hara

Painter ; Utkal ram

Medium ; Water colour on paper

Circa ; Early 18th century

Sub school ; Bundi

Technique; Tempera

Collection; National Museum Dehli.
The painting was painted by Utkal ram in beginning of 18th century.
In this painting a young rajput king has been shown wearing
decorated apparels, jewels and wonderful decorated turban of
mughal style on his head.
His eyes have been shown rather sentimental.
The particular attraction of this painting is a straight stretched tail of
a horse.
All the ornamental elements in this painting have been painted in
red orange and yellow brown colours. White coloured horse and
apparels of the king have been delineated in charming combination.
The king has been shown holding the rein of horse in his left hand
very proudly and in his right hand, he has been holding a beautiful
flower .
In the background of the painting , the combination of deep colours
seems propounding and to be successful in centring attention of the
people..

8. In this painting six princesses have been shown playing polo or chaughan . All the six princesses
have been shown riding on their well equipped horses of white , blue and deep grey coloured with
royal apparels of different colours. They have been adorned with jewels , covering the heads with
excellent adornments in different countenances.
They mounted on their horses moving into different directions, are trying to take the red coloured
ball into their own controlled sticks. In front part of their background, grass has been shown in
peculiar shape with mixture of green , blue and yellow colours, when the hind part has been
given the perception of grass in a field . In the upper part of painting has been done calligraphic
work.
Chaughan players
Painter; Dana

Medium ; water colour on paper

Circa ; 18 century

Sub school ; jodhpur

Technique ; tempera

Collection ; National museum ,
New Delhi
Subject matter :-Painting Chaugan Players is of
a group of Polo-Players all mounted on horse-
backs with polo-sticks in their hands. The two
princesses are riding side saddles and are bare
headed. They are charging at each other with
long polo sticks trying to control the ball.

9. painter ; nurudin

medium ; watercolor on paper

circa; 1683 ad

sub school; bikaner

technique ; tempera

collection ; national museum dehli
This painting has two panels in left side of upper panel, krishna
has been shown sitting on a ornamental base of a hexagonal
swing.his upper blue coloured is almost naked but few
ornaments are made of pearls and other jewels has been shown
under neck that hanged on chest. a yellow thin lined scarf
dangling from his shoulders-and an ornamented crown has also
been shown on his head. round the waist he has worn an orange
coloured printed cloth called dhoti
krishna is intently looking towards radha sitting on a balcony of
his right side. radha has worn traditional ghagra and choli. she
has covered her head with a transparent chunari and she is
sitting on a red carpet, is looking towards krishna . to ease
bodies of both radha and krishna in the backside are put roued
carpets under a tree . the dresses are similar nd pillows
In lower panel of painting , radha and krishna have been shown
sitting seperately on red carpets under atree . the dresses are
similar to those shown in upper panel . but in this panel , the
colour of krishna dhoti has been shown yellow. to ease their
bodies round pillows have been put carpets . in this panel
radhas attendant has been shown standing beside krishna .
possibly she has to come to krishna taking some message of
radha . she has worn a light violet and yellow stripped ghagra
and a matching choli.
in the background a mound made up of mixture of green yellow
colour has been shown . beside the mound both the panels have
been shown separately. clumps of trees and their leaves with
Krishna On Swing

10. Radha (Bani Thani)
painter; Nihal chand
medium ; Water colour on paper
circa ; 1760 a.d
sub school ; Kishangarh school
technique ; Tempera
Size :- 90 cm (h) x 68 cm (w)
collection ; National museum New Dehli
Bani Thani was believed to be the mistress of King Sawant Singh, and later
became one of his wives. Her birth name was Vishnupriya. She was a singer
employed by his stepmother and he was drawn to her because of her beauty
and singing. She came to be known as 'Bani Thani', which means "the decked
out lady", because of the exquisite jewellery and makeup that she used to adorn
herself with after becoming queen. 
In this painting the artist has portrayed a beautiful Rajasthani
Girl Radha, adorned in beautiful jewel necklaces and ornaments
studded with gold and precious gems, visible through the
beautiful transparent ‘Chunari’. The sharp features of Radha
depicted through a profile images, having a pointed long nose,
and deer eyes, with arched eyebrows and graceful lips have been
shown in thin and red colour. Radha is holding two lotus buds
in her left hand and in a graceful posture. Her jewels are painted
in the typical Rajasthani tradition. The ‘Chunari’ or transparent
veil is intricately decorated with floral motifs all through with
bold solid borders all in golden colour. These identical floral
motifs in rich gold inlay work is also visible in the dress worn by
Radha. The background also has shades of blue adding to the
contrast of the subject. The Government of India had
published a postage stamp with this miniature painting, on
5 May 1973.
Radha Bani Thani is an Indian miniature
painting painted by Nihal Chand from the
Marwar Kishangarh.It potrays a woman who
is elegant and graceful.The paintings subject
,Bani Thani,was a singer in the time of king
Sawant Singh (1748-1764).

11. 

In this painting the painter Guman has painted an episode of Ramayana through very ordinary 49 figures . Bharat
and shatrugana, with their wives, mothers , preceptors, and distinguished officials, arrived chitrakoot and they all
have been shown trying to persuade Rama Lakshmana and Sita to come back to Ayodhya .Dark skinned Rama
with Halo, has been shown in riddle coloured clothes. All mothers have been pAinted in white coloured clothes.
Bharat and shatrugana have worn similar pink coloured light clothes. Sita as well as other wives have worn pink
coloured sarees.Some of the pictures have been shown in motion and others stagnant. In the upper part of
painting Rama Lakshmana and Sita have been shown in different countenances greeting mothers. Below Rama is
shown making hospitality of the preceptors. At one place having heard the sad news of death of his
father,Dashrath , Rama has been shown fainted. In one portion sita is discussing with her mothers in law and
others.At one place Rama has been shown begging one of the preceptors and Lakshmana standing behind him.
Bharat and shatrugana have been shown sitting together.And in the end all have been shown standing on right
side in line.Probably this is the time of farewell.In the background of painting, dark green hut has been shown on
which a black coloured special structure has been painted. Behind that , many trees , flowers and plants are also
depicted. Behind these trees hill has been shown.In front part of the painting , there is a water source in which so
many blossomy flowers of lotus have been shown. Near the water source, there is clump of trees. The base of
painting has been painted by diluting the ruddle colour which is giving base to all the figures. This is one of the
paintings that were painted in patronage of ruler of jaipur, Sawai jai singh, in the middle of 18th century.
Bharat meets Rama at
chitrakuta

Painter ; Guman

Medium ; Watercolor on paper

Circa 18th century ( 1740 - 50 )

Sub school ; Jaipur

Technique; Tempera

Collection National Museum New Delhi