Under whose reign did the Jaipur School of Paintings thrive and emerge as an independent school?

Sawai Jai Singh

Answer: Sawai Jai Singh
Jaipur School of paintings thrived under the reign of Sawai Jai Singh.

Sawai Jai Singh (1699–1743), an influential ruler, established a new capital city Jaipur named after him in 1727 and shifted from Amer. Jaipur School of paintings thrived under his reign and emerged as a well-defined independent school. Court records reveal that some Mughal painters were brought from Delhi to become a part of his atelier. He also invited eminent craftsmen and other artists to settle down in Jaipur and reorganised the Suratkhana, the place where paintings were made and stored. He was drawn to the Vaishnavite sect and commissioned numerous paintings on the theme of Radha and Krishna. Artists during his reign painted sets based on Rasikapriya, Gita Govinda, Baramasa and Ragamala, where the hero’s figure is in striking resemblance with the king. Portrait painting was also popular during his time and an accomplished portrait painter, Sahibram, was part of his atelier. Muhammad Shah was another artist.