Untitled

Bagta

ca. 1810–18 · Opaque watercolor and ink on paper · Asian Art

This topographical rendering of the immense Ranthambhor fort, with its twenty-four miles of walls, effectively emphasized Maharaja Jagat Singh’s military standing. The painting comes from the innovative generation of the great artist Bagta. While the landscape and obliquely presented structures relate to traditional Indian painting, their accurate distribution suggests a conceptual familiarity with the language of mapmaking. European prints had shown military fortifications from above for nearly three hundred years. Jagat Singh must have known some of these images and was thus positioning himself within this larger tradition.

Artist

Bagta

Date

ca. 1810–18

Medium

Opaque watercolor and ink on paper

Culture

India (Jaipur, Rajasthan)

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1996