Akhairaj with Courtiers and Musicians in a Garden

Akhairaj, a minor noble in the state of Jodhpur (Marwar), is sitting on an English-style chair in an unidentified garden, listening to musicians and enjoying flowers. Below, a servant gathers fruit, and a sadhu sits by a fire in a corner of the garden, near a well. Red border.

Historical period(s)
Rathore dynasty, ca. 1820
Movement
Marwar Court
School
Rajput School
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 34.4 x 45.3 cm (13 9/16 x 17 13/16 in)
Geography
India, Marwar, Rajasthan state, Jodhpur
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1999.17
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Painting

Keywords
fiddle, fruit, garden, India, lute, music, Rathore dynasty (1459 - 1947), sadhu
Provenance

From at least 1967
Kumar Sangram Singh of Nawalgarh, Jaipur, from at least 1967 [1]

Stuart Cary Welch, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Warner, New Hampshire [2]

To 1999
Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York to 1999

From 1999
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. in 1999

Notes:

[1] In 1967, the object was seen and photographed by Milo C. Beach in the collection of Kumar Sangram Singh; his seal is on the reverse (according to Curatorial Note 4, Milo C. Beach, December 6, 1999, in the object record).

[2] The object was acquired soon after 1967 by S.C. Welch, and sold through Colnaghi's (according to Curatorial Note 4, Milo C. Beach, December 6, 1999, in the object record).

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd.
Kumar Sangram Singh (Thakur of Nawalgarh)
Stuart Cary Welch 1928-2008

Description

Akhairaj, a minor noble in the state of Jodhpur (Marwar), is sitting on an English-style chair in an unidentified garden, listening to musicians and enjoying flowers. Below, a servant gathers fruit, and a sadhu sits by a fire in a corner of the garden, near a well. Red border.

Inscription(s)

1. (From the Seller's Invoice, September 1999) Five line inscription in nagari characters on reverse.

2. (Milo C. Beach, 6 December 1999) Akhairaj and other courtiers are identified by an inscription on the reverse. (Details to follow after translation of inscription.)

Marking(s)

1. (Martha Smith, 4 October 1999) Verso: Five and a half lines of writing at the top. Below is a circular stamp in purple ink: around the edge: KUMAR SANGRAM SINGH x OF NAWAL GARH x. In the middle: Painting No. Below the stamp: S Singh [written in blue ink]; 35 [written in pencil and circled]; Title: Raja Akahi Raj [stamped and written in blue ink]; School: Jodhpur [stamped and written in blue ink]; Artist: x [stamped and written in blue ink].

Label

This painting is in an early phase of the style that became general at the royal court of Jodhpur, as well as in outlying dependencies.

Following the death of Maharaja Vijay Singh of Jodhpur in 1793, a succession battle took place that centered on Bhim Singh and Man Singh, two grandsons (but by different fathers) of the deceased ruler. Bakshi Singhvi Akhairaj was a partisan of Bhim Singh, whom he helped to place on the throne on July 20, 1793. During the next years, he led several campaigns aganst the continually rebellious Man Singh, whose side he joined in 1798. Captured and imprisoned by Bhim Singh, he had again joined Man Singh when the Maharaja died in 1803, and helped to insure Man Singh's succession--not difficult, since Man Singh was the only surviving heir in the family. As the Marathas became more powerful in the area, Akhairaj joined a coup d'etat to prevent Man Singh's intended alliance with Bapuji Scindia, and forced Man Singh's abdication in favor of his son, the yuvraj Chattra Singh. Eventually the British negotiated a treaty with Jodhpur, signed on January 6, 1818, that ended Scindia trouble-making, replacing the tributes demanded by the Marathas with tribute to the British. Because of the English chair, this painting probably post-dated that alliance.

Published References
  • P. & D. Colnaghi. Indian Painting: Mughal and Rajput and a Sultanate Manuscript. Exh. cat. London. cat. 77.
  • Padmaja Sharma. Maharaja Mansingh of Jodhpur and his Times. pp. 29-30, 33-4, 41.
  • Rosemary Crill. Marwar Painting: A History of Jodhpur Style. Mumbai. p. 129.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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