Sketch Page of Facial Studies, likely Maharao Kishor Singh
Unknown Artist
ca. 1830
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
Image (sight): 9 1/8 x 3 7/8 in. (23.2 x 9.8 cm) Framed: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture
India (Rajasthan, Kotah)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Subhash Kapoor, in memory of his parents, Smt Shashi Kanta and Shree Parshotam Ram Kapoor, 2008
Accession Number
2008.359.42
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Sketch Page of Facial Studies, likely Maharao Kish Singh* (ca. 1830) offers a rare glimpse into the preparatory world of Rajasthan's Kota court artists. Hailing from the princely state of Kotah in northern India, this ink-on-paper drawing captures multiple male heads—possibly the ruler himself—in varying expressions and angles. Created during the early 19th century, reflects the meticulous traditions of Rajput painting, where anonymous court ateliers produced works for royal patrons amid political shifts under British colonial influence. The unknown artist's use of fine ink lin...