A Raja with a tame antelope on a leash

The Ajmer school lasted from 1630-1800. Its style can be direct, almost folkish. It is thought that Ajmer artists passed their skill in painting elephants on to Kotah – a school that became famous for painting wonderful elephants.

Here the Raja is shown in an outdoor activity, probably simply exercising his tame antelope. He has a typical Rajasthani face and his costume is Hindu because it fastens under the left arm. He wears the katar (stabbing dagger for hand-to-hand combat) in his waist band. This dagger, worn for self protection in the event of a surprise attack, is shown in several of the paintings in the Sainsbury collection. His servant, holding the Rajah’s sword, is shown on a small scale in the background.

Description taken from the ‘Art From The Indian Sub-Continent In The Sainsbury Centre’ catalogue by Margaret A. Willey (Sainsbury Centre, UEA, 1995).