Thakur Gopal Singh (1902-1974)
Ruler of Badnore
by Mewar School artist
circa 1925
Natural pigments and gold on cloth
46.3 x 34 in. (117.5 x 86.5 cm.)
The art of portraiture in colonized India compelled many traditional miniature artists to adopt the stylization prevalent during those times. Small painters, in and around Rajasthan, started painting portraits in the western form but the paintings sometimes carried hints of traditionalism. In this painting the artist has portrayed the ruler on a traditional cloth painting using natural pigment made from various stones, plants and flowers mixed with gum. Usually this style of painting was used to paint Pichwais in Nathdwara.
This portrait is of the 17th Thakur of Badnore who married Thakurani Raj Kanwar Nathawat and had a child. Badnore falls under the state of Udaipur in Rajasthan and comprises of 117 villages and has been traditionally ruled by the Rathore Dynasty. The ancestor of this branch of the Rathore Dynasty was Rao Duda of Jodhpur, who was granted the Jagir of Merta. His grandson, Rao Jaimal was granted the Jagir of Badnore in 1554 by the Maharana of Mewar for services rendered.