Important Notice

Guler School, Pahari
Circa 1780
Natural pigments on paper heightened with gold
11.5 x 7 in (29 x 18 cm)

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
The Tandan Collection, Hyderabad



An inscription in Devanagari at the top of the painting identifies the sitter as Shri Mahachand, Raja (King) of Kahlur (or Bilaspur). Raja Mahan Singh is known in the history of Bilaspur state as having come under British protection in 1815 CE during his rule and his kingdom became part of the Simla Hill States. Bilaspur was one of the Pahari hill states where the famed Kangra school or style of painting developed.
Young and handsome Mahanchand is shown seated under a cusped arch balcony, smoking a hukkah. He is comfortably seated on a gadi (carpet) and rests his back against a large off-white (with tiny floral patterns on it) bolster and has two cushions placed on either side. He is seen dressed in a light green jama, pink pyjama and kamarband (waistband) alongside an orange shawl with a matching turban adorned by a sarpech (turban ornament) and black kalangi (plume). A fine jali (balustrade) runs along the balcony while an attendant wearing a yellow jama and a purple turban is seen standing behind the ruler fanning him
with a flywhisk and a piece of cloth, both traditional tropes to indicate royalty. An orange curtain is rolled up behind the arch, while the light blue sky forms the background. The painting is framed by a black inner border followed by a broader pink outer border decorated by the application of delicate spray work.
The style of the painting shows a transitional phase from Kangra to the Sikh style where the shape of the eye was becoming more elongated as artists were not able to keep up with the finesse of more precise brushwork of the Kangra qalam (pen).

Guler School, Pahari
Circa 1780
Natural pigments on paper heightened with gold
11.5 x 7 in (29 x 18 cm)

NON-EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY

PROVENANCE
The Tandan Collection, Hyderabad



An inscription in Devanagari at the top of the painting identifies the sitter as Shri Mahachand, Raja (King) of Kahlur (or Bilaspur). Raja Mahan Singh is known in the history of Bilaspur state as having come under British protection in 1815 CE during his rule and his kingdom became part of the Simla Hill States. Bilaspur was one of the Pahari hill states where the famed Kangra school or style of painting developed.
Young and handsome Mahanchand is shown seated under a cusped arch balcony, smoking a hukkah. He is comfortably seated on a gadi (carpet) and rests his back against a large off-white (with tiny floral patterns on it) bolster and has two cushions placed on either side. He is seen dressed in a light green jama, pink pyjama and kamarband (waistband) alongside an orange shawl with a matching turban adorned by a sarpech (turban ornament) and black kalangi (plume). A fine jali (balustrade) runs along the balcony while an attendant wearing a yellow jama and a purple turban is seen standing behind the ruler fanning him
with a flywhisk and a piece of cloth, both traditional tropes to indicate royalty. An orange curtain is rolled up behind the arch, while the light blue sky forms the background. The painting is framed by a black inner border followed by a broader pink outer border decorated by the application of delicate spray work.
The style of the painting shows a transitional phase from Kangra to the Sikh style where the shape of the eye was becoming more elongated as artists were not able to keep up with the finesse of more precise brushwork of the Kangra qalam (pen).