Panorama of Jaipur Paintings

Over the centuries, Indian art tradition came to have its differentiative regional, even local, specificities. For instance, the Jaipur School of Painting. Isolating itself from other Rajasthani genres like Mewar, Bikaner or Bundi, the Jaipur school set out its independent, distinctive identity, sometime during the early years of the 18th century. Historically, it was the time when the once-glorious Mughal empire was beginning to disintegrate and many of its court painters discovered, in Jaipur, a conducive haven — under the generous patronage of Sawai Jai Singh (ad 1699-1743). As the capital of Rajasthan, the erstwhile Rajputana, Jaipur evokes memories of Rajput chivalry, and legendary romance. And it unmistakably represents the beautiful in art and the magnificent in architecture — leave alone its fabulous cultural traditions. The School of Painting that thrived has here for over 150 years since Jai Singh’s time, covers a whole diversity of themes: both sacred and secular, evolving a veritable panorama of contemporary life and culture. And yet collectively, notwithstanding their exposure to the earliest character of Mughal art, Jaipur miniatures are steeped in tradition — drawing inspiration from Indian mythology, epical/classical literature, and folklore. For the first time, Dr. Rita Pratap offers an exclusive study of the Jaipur School of Miniature Painting, in all its different articulations — with focus, among other aspects, on its historical evolution; its style, forms and motifs; its artists and ateliers; and its linkages with other forms of creative expression: literature, music, sculpture, dance. For her meticulous analysis she has drawn on the miniatures from private collections and museums around the world. Besides including bibliographic references and a glossary of non-English words, the book is embellished with representative specimens of Jaipur miniature paintings, exquisite figures and photographic reproductions in colour.