Description 

This rare surviving fragment formed part of a larger preparatory drawing associated with the celebrated painting Brijnathji and Durjan Sal Singh Sight a Pride of Lions, now in the collection of the Rao Madho Singh Trust Museum, Fort Kotah. The present study corresponds to the male lion depicted in the finished composition, where the animal returns toward his mate and cubs while being observed from a distance by Brijnathji and Maharav Durjan Sal Singh. Another highly finished drawing of a closely related composition is recorded in the Howard Hodgkin Collection, further demonstrating the importance of this subject within the artistic production of the Kotah court.

Though fragmentary, the drawing vividly reveals the remarkable powers of observation and draftsmanship that characterize the work of the artist known as the Kotah Master. The lion is constructed with a fluid, confident contour that simultaneously describes anatomy, movement, and temperament. The sweeping curve of the back, the measured stride, and the alert turn of the head convey a sense of restrained energy, while the open jaws and exposed teeth impart an air of latent ferocity. With the economy of a few assured lines, the artist succeeds in capturing both the physical mass and psychological presence of the animal.

The sheet belongs to a transformative moment in the history of Rajput painting. Active during the first half of the eighteenth century, the Kotah Master developed a powerful new visual language that elevated the depiction of hunting scenes and wild animals to unprecedented artistic heights. Scholars have noted the artist’s synthesis of diverse traditions, combining the rhythmic linearity and sophisticated draftsmanship of Persian painting with the bold expressiveness and dramatic intensity characteristic of Rajput court art. The resulting style found its fullest expression in the celebrated hunting and animal compositions produced for the rulers of Kotah.

Condition

Fragment from a larger drawing, trimmed to the present dimensions. General age-related wear, including creasing, light staining, and scattered abrasions. Surface wear consistent with handling and age. 

Provenance

Acquired through the New York art trade in the 1990s.
Private Collection, New York, since the 1990s.

References

Topsfield, Andrew, and Milo C. Beach. Indian Paintings and Drawings from the Collection of Howard Hodgkin. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1991, no. 3, p. 94.

Welch, Stuart Cary, ed. Gods, Kings and Tigers: The Art of Kotah. Munich: Prestel, 1997, fig. 29, pp. 134–136.  

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