Oliver White
Head of Department
Lot 262
A prince riding an elephant, possibly Maharajah Prithvi Singh of Jaipur (reg. 1768-78) Jaipur, possibly by Sahib Ram, circa 1778
8 April 2014, 10:30 BST
London, New Bond Street£1,500 - £2,000
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A prince riding an elephant, possibly Maharajah Prithvi Singh of Jaipur (reg. 1768-78)
Jaipur, possibly by Sahib Ram, circa 1778
Jaipur, possibly by Sahib Ram, circa 1778
gouache and gold on paper, blue border with floral motifs, framed
315 x 238 mm.
315 x 238 mm.
Footnotes
Prithvi Singh was five years old when he acceded to the throne after the death of his father, Madho Singh. The mother of his younger brother stood in as regent. His short reign was a period of intense internecine strife. He died after a fall from his horse: a later historian commented that this took place 'not without suspicion that a dose of poison accelerated the vacancy (J. Tod, The Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, London 1920, vol. 3, pp. 1361-62). For a slightly earlier portrait, see Christie's, Islamic Art and Manuscripts, 16th October 2001, lot 81.
The identification has been suggested from a comparison with a portrait attributed to Sahib Ram of Prithvi Singh as a child (see M. Aitken, in Rietberg Masters, II, p. 626). In both paintings the Maharajah wears an unusual gold-topped jama. The present painting was probably executed shortly before the Maharajah's death at the age of 16.