Jawan Singh, like his father Bhim Singh, actively patronized court artists during his reign as the Maharaja of Udaipur. The painting style of his period closely resembles, or continues, that during his father’s reign, characterised by flat perspectives, rich colours and stiff poses. Large paintings depicting the ruler’s visits to temples are notably crowded with figures yet showcase an incredible dedication to detail. Artists patronised by Jawan Singh often enjoyed to improvising with the themes assigned to them, frequently employing continuous narrative techniques within a single image for storytelling. In contrast to large-scale congregational images, Jawan Singh’s hunting scene paintings were executed on a more modest, smaller scale. Figures, flora and fauna were rendered formulaically within this constrained format, creating a return to a more abstract conception with rhythmic, repetitive motifs. The vast landscape in these works possesses a static quality, serving as a fitting backdrop for ritualistic hunts imbued with a sense of monotonous uniformity. (Topsfield, Andrew. Court Painting at Udaipur: Art Under the Patronage of the Maharanas of Mewar. Zurich: Artibus Asiae Publishers, 2002, pp. 245-51.)
The folio in this lot depicts Maharana Jawan Singh on a walk in the fields with his official or attendant. Dressed in olive green jama, the protagonists carry rifles and have swords at their waists. The ruler’s sword features a hilt of a fantastic beast, possibly a dragon or qilin, crafted in white jade. Both figures are adorned with beautiful jewellery. On their ears are gold hoop earrings with pearl and ruby ends. Around their necks are sets of pearl necklaces set in gold, with Jawan Singh’s necklace boasting a large sapphire pendant. On their wrists are gold bangles decorated with pearl. The ruler wears a string of red gems across his body, likely indicating his status. The scene is set against a lush green landscape, with small plants in the foreground and swirling clouds and verdant trees on hills in the background.
The tranquil scene is enclosed by a dark green frame and a red border. A text box with carnation ends is positioned above the image, likely for a calligrapher to fill in the title. A line of inscription in faded white paint is located along the lower edge of the red border, and the folio is numbered “94” in Persian in the upper left corner.
A miniature of Jawan Singh in a hunting scene, dated 1835, is housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum collection (acc. no. IS.557-1952). In this work, the ruler is captured in the act of pursuing wild boars and slashing them with his sword, while elegantly dressed in green jama and adorned with exquisite jewellery. Despite the emphasis on green vegetation, the landscape is depicted in a similarly formulaic manner as the miniature in this lot.
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