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Enter GALLERIES to browse paintings, etc.

Ruler on a palace terrace, two attendants behind with peacock feather morchals (flywhisks), two ladies, one with wine flask and cup on a tray standing before him, alongside another lady dressed in male attire. Beyond the group a lake with lotus flowers. Kishangarh. circa 1850 -1860. 21.7 by 27cm.

This painting bears many identical features to another formerly in the Carter Burden collection, sold by Sotheby's New York, March 27th 1991, lot 40. We see the same terrace, the same dense row of plaintains, the same lotus-flowered lake, the ruler and attendants in the same position, etc. Different are the rulers themselves and the third lady (Sotheby's lot features a Jaipur ruler without stereotypical Kishangahr features, whilst the lady in men's clothing similarly has none of these features - neither do the attendants in either painting). The main difference is the Sotheby's painting having, beyond the lake, a large white palace which is missing here, strongly suggesting the painting has been cropped - especially as its borders are missing. There are signs of water damage with areas of overpainting in the plantains (mid-area), ruler's shield and possibly his nimbus.