An important and interesting Provincial Mughal miniature of an assembly of noblemen and saints.

(The saints Sur Sagar and Ramanand with their devotees, identified in nasta'liq script).

A group of noblemen and saints in discussion on a palace terrace. They kneel in two groups facing each other, the two main figures distinguished by gold haloes. One wears a red turban and jama with a green shawl, the other a white dhoti. The others dressed in a variey of different coloured jamas except for two yogis seated in the foreground wearing lilac and yellow dhotis respectively. All have beads and rosaries, some around their necks, others held in prayer. In the background, a river or lake with greenery and sky beyond. Provincial Mughal, possibly Jaipur, circa 1750.

This Indian miniature was clearly painted by an exceptional portrait artist working outside the Mughal court. The nasta'liq inscriptions naming each figure make the work particularly interesting. Identifying sitters in Indian portraits is not unusual and was particularly favoured by Mughal patrons. This custom was well established in the seventeenth century. (The finest example is the Padshahnama, executed during the reign of Shah Jahan, 1627-1659, and now in the Royal Library at Windsor). The good portraiture in this miniature links the painting to a Mughal artist, but the background suggests a provincial provenance, probably Jaipur. Royal marriages reinforced close links between Jaipur and the Mughal courts. The Jaipur rulers provided trusted support and troops to Mughal campaigns, particularly in the Deccan. Artists from Delhi and Lucknow moved to Jaipur towards the end of the eighteenth century, giving weight to this attribution.

Sitters on the right:

Top row: Rama Nand / Sahja Nand / Jiwan Das / Udho / Rodas
2nd row: Baba Jas Rami / Maddu Bhagat / Sadho Bhogar / Mokand Bhagat / Kardhar Das
3rd row: Baba Sandha? / Jado / Manku / Maluka / ?
4th row: Bahudass Bhagat / Asa Bhagat / Mehar Das / Munohar Das / Dhamma Bhagat. (Famous in Punjabi folk-lore. Said to be named in Granth Sahib).
5th row: Chandan Sakhi / Nand Sakhi / Josami (?) / Tota Ram / Maya Ram

Sitters on the left:

Top row: Surdas (famous blind poet) / Jivaram / Kardhar / Muldas / Sur Sagar (Sur = blind)
2nd row: Sis Bhagat / Bhaghi Bhagat / Chhaju Bhagat (famous in Lahore where his home still known) / Nibahu Ram / Wahiram
3rd row: Baba Malhar / Baba Jalam / Gosaia Jagyasi / Kanka Bhagat / Baba Tamban
4th row: Jilo Bhagat / Gosaia Amar / Narani Bhagat / Chamchal Bhagat / Bihari Das
5th row: Hariya Bhagat / Marar Gosain / Kirat Bhagat / Sablu Bhagat / Sadhu Jan

For further reading see:

M.C. Beach and E. Koch: King of the World, the Padshahnama, London, 1997.
T. Falk and M. Archer: Indian Miniatures in the India Office Library, London, 1981, p. 254.
R.M. Rosa: Life at Court in Rajasthan, Florence, 1985.
S.C. Welch: India, New York, 1985, no. 257.
A. Topsfield (ed): In the Realm of Gods and Kings, Arts of India, London, 2004, pp. 288-313.

Gouache on paper, individuals identified by nasta'liq inscriptions on painted surface. 280 x 195mm. (11 x 7.7 ins).