The Royal Portraits of Dhundar

Fourth and last part of our series on Rajasthan’s miniature art

The image of Raja Sawai Madho Singh I with arms crossed sitting straight against a large bolster commands respect. Evoking respect and deference was a significant marker of kingship; often it was projected through portraits and it was the Dhundar school of art that mastered this typology. This and many other portraits of the kings of Jaipur are some of the most significant contributions of the Dhundar school to Indian art.

Dhundar is one of the smaller schools of Rajput art with three sub-schools – Jaipur, Alwar and Ajmer. Of these, only Jaipur was particularly industrious. In fact, the name ‘Dhundar’ comes from the original name of the Jaipur state. The State of Jaipur was one of the most powerful in medieval Rajputana. Alwar and Ajmer, though much smaller, gave great examples of art.