INDIA, BIKANER, SIGNED IBRAHIM, DATED 1692

Originally presented to Rajkumar Singh of Orccha in 1591, the Rasikapriya classifies and analyses the various types of romantic heroes (nayaka), heroines (nayika), often personified as Krishna and Radha, and the moods that inspire them. This painting comes from the Royal Bikaner Rasikapriya which consists of 187 paintings. Begun by the Bikaner master Ruknuddin at the time of the Siege of Golconda in 1687, it would be continued by his pupils. With the death of Maharaja Anup Singh in 1698 work on the series was paused, only to restart again in 1712. The present work has been signed by Ibrahim (active 1690-1710), the son of Ruknuddin (active 1680-1698), the preeminent painter at Bikaner during this period. Ibrahim may have succeeded his father as chief painter of the Bikaner atelier after Ruknuddin's death in 1698.
Other illustrations from this series signed by Ibrahim are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 1975.410.3), the Brooklyn Museum (acc. no. 81.192.3), and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (acc. no. M.75.114.6). Another illustration sold at Christie's New York, 20 March 2012, lot 254, for $20,000. Other paintings from this series attributable to Ibrahim's contemporary Nuruddin have sold at Christie's New York, 21 September 2007, lot 2, and more recently at Christie's London, 22 March 2022, lot 68, for GBP 44,100.