The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Portrait of Maharaja Rai Singh of Bikaner (reigned 1574-1612)
c. 1590
(Indian, active c. 1580–1630)
Image: 20.5 x 14.6 cm (8 1/16 x 5 3/4 in.); Paper: 42.4 x 26 cm (16 11/16 x 10 1/4 in.)
Location: Not on view
Description
Drawings such as this served as models for formal painted portraits of Mughal and Rajput royalty in court workshops.The confident contour lines, delicate shading, and subtle facial expression are the work of the master artist Nur Muhammad (active 1570s–1630s), identified in a Persian inscription on the back. He came from a distinguished family of artists who settled in Bikaner by the mid-1500s. Nur Muhammad also worked at the Mughal court, notably for the mother of Emperor Akbar (reigned 1565–1605). His descendants continue to be recognized as the master artists of Bikaner up to the present day.
- Paintings of Bikaner – Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 7, 2019-April 5, 2020).Indian Gallery 242 Rotation – April-November 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 2-November 18, 2018).
- {{cite web|title=Portrait of Maharaja Rai Singh of Bikaner (reigned 1574-1612)|url=false|author=Nur Muhammad|year=c. 1590|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1987.1100