Match the painting in List- I with its Artist in List- II:

(A)-(II), (B)-(IV), (C)-(III), (D)-(I)

The correct answer is Option 3- (A)-(II), (B)-(IV), (C)-(III), (D)-(I)

A particular set of Ragamala paintings from Mewar is, especially, important as one of its paintings bears crucial documentary evidence regarding its artist, patron, place and date of painting. Maru Ragini is from this set, which is in the collection of National Museum, New Delhi. The initial part of the inscription found on the painting, representing Maru Ragini, classifies Maru as the ragini of Raga Shri and describes her physical beauty and its effect on her beloved. It is the latter half that is engrossing as it reads, “… samvat 1685 varshe aso vad 9 Rana Shri Jagat Singh Rajen Udaipur madhe likhitam chitara Sahivdin bachan hara ne ram ram.” Samvat 1685 is 1628 CE and Sahibdin is referred to as chitara, meaning ‘someone who paints’, and the act of painting is termed as likhitam, translated as ‘written’ since the goal of the artist was to produce a painterly equivalent to the written verse inscribed on the painting.

Aniruddha Singh (1682–1702) succeeded Bhao Singh. Few remarkable paintings with interesting documentary evidence have survived from his period. One of them being the much talked of equestrian portrait of Aniruddha Singh by artist Tulchi Ram painted in 1680. It epitomises an artist’s perception of speed and a horse in motion that he accomplished by completely negating the rendering of the foreground. The horse is seen galloping so high in the air that the ground is not visible. The value of such paintings is that they turn still portraits into narratives. Names of Tulchi Ram and prince (Kanwar) Aniruddha Singh are inscribed behind the painting.

The painting “Chaugan Players” depicts a princess playing Polo (Chaugan) with companions, by artist Dana represents Jodhpur painting of Man Singh’s reign.

Krishna and Radha in a pavilion painted by Nihal Chand, Kishangarh, 1750 is housed at the Allahabad Museum.