Bikaner style of painting

The Bikaner style is a school of Rajasthani painting that developed in the desert city of Bikaner in the seventeenth century, when artists from the declining imperial Mughal workshops settled at the Rajput court. Closer to Mughal painting than most Rajput styles, and touched by Deccani colour, it handles both court portraiture and illustration of Hindu texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, Ragmala and Rasalila. Raja Karan Singh's ties with Shah Jahan's court and his son Anup Singh's campaigns in the Deccan brought the master painter Ruknuddin and other Mughal and Deccani artists to Bikaner. The school is distinguished by exceptionally fine line, a restrained palette, and courtly scenes set in detailed natural backgrounds - fountains, gardens and roof terraces rendered with quiet naturalism.

Defining characteristics

• Finer line and a more reserved colour range than other Rajasthani schools
• Mughal naturalism blended with Deccani colour and atmosphere
• Subjects from Hindu epics and music theory: Bhagavata Purana, Ragmala, Rasalila
• Court portraits and equestrian likenesses of Bikaner's rulers
• Courtly scenes set in detailed natural backgrounds - fountains, gardens and terraces

Key figures

• Ruknuddin (Rukn-ud-Din Firuz) (fl. c. 1670-1700) — Master painter of Anup Singh's court, famed for zenana and garden scenes
• Ali Raza (fl. late 17th century) — Court painter of Lakshmi Narayana subjects and royal portraits
• Natthu Umrani (fl. 1665) — Early Bikaner painter of intimate figure scenes
• Anup Singh of Bikaner (r. 1674-1698) — Raja and patron who drew Mughal and Deccani artists to the Bikaner court

Example works

• Gazing Fondly in the Mirror — Natthu Umrani (1665)
• Ladies of the Zenana on a Roof Terrace — Ruknuddin (1675)
• Equestrian Portrait of Maharaja Sujan Singh of Bikaner — Kasam, son of Muhammad (1740s)

Sources

• Bikaner style of painting - Wikipedia encyclopedia

← Back to the catalog