Dhundhar School of Painting: Amer, Jaipur, Alwar, Uniara, Shekhawati | Notes

At a glance

Order: Amer, then Jaipur; Alwar later split off from Jaipur.
Muhammad Shah (RAS 2023): RPSC's answer makes him a court painter of Sawai Jai Singh; he and Sahibram are named as the chief Jaipur painters.
Alwar's golden age: Vinay Singh, whose place in Alwar painting is like Akbar's in Mughal painting.
Jaipur's mark: life-size portraits and wall paintings; its artists took Mughal influence but kept Rajput culture.

Sub-styles	Amer, Jaipur, Shekhawati, Alwar; Uniara sub-style; thikanas Jhilai, Isarda, Shahpura, Samod
Golden age	Jaipur under Sawai Pratap Singh
Workshop	Suratkhana of Jaipur, one of Sawai Jai Singh's 36 karkhanas
Wall method	Alagila, also called Araish or Morakasi
School	Maharaja School of Arts and Crafts, 1857, now the Rajasthan School of Art

Ruler or time	What happened
Amer, early period	Yashodhara Charitra (1591); a copy of the Razmnama (1588) made for Akbar in the Suratkhana, with 169 large pictures; murals at Bairath (Mughal Garden) and Mauzamabad show Mughal influence
Mirza Raja Jai Singh (1621–67)	Rasikapriya and Krishna Rukmini ri Veli had pictures made in 1639 for his queen Chandravati; Ganesh Pol, built 1639, is rich in wall paintings
Sawai Jai Singh	Rasikapriya, Kavipriya, Gitagovinda, Barahmasa, Navras and Ragamala were painted
Sawai Ishwari Singh	The Suratkhana moved from Amer to Jaipur; Sahibram's life-size portraits started a new custom; Lalchand painted many animal fights
Sawai Madho Singh I	Manikuttim: pearls, lac and wooden beads pasted in place of colour; wall paintings at Galta's temples, the Sisodia Rani's palace, Chandra Mahal, Pundarik's haveli; Lal Chitera, a leading painter here and under Ishwari Singh
Sawai Pratap Singh	More than fifty artists in the Suratkhana, among them Ramsewak, Gopal, Hukma, Chimna, Saligram, Lakshman; Radha-Krishna, nayika-bhed, ragaragini, Baramasa

Alagila: the lime plaster is rubbed smooth and painted on; it began at Amer, a result of Kachhwaha-Mughal ties.
Thikana painting grew at Isarda, Siwar, Jhilai, Uniara, Chaumu, Samod and Malpura.

Alwar became a separate style in 1775 under Rao Raja Pratap Singh; the painters Shivkumar and Daluram came from Jaipur; the murals of the Shish Mahal of Rajgarh fort are early best work.
Bakhtawar Singh: had the Shish Mahal in Rajgarh's palaces painted; Baldev, Daluram, Salga and Saligram were chief painters; pictures of him talking with Naths, yogis and fakirs.
Vinay Singh: learnt painting from Baldev; Baldev and Ghulam Ali painted the calligraphed Gulistan.
Balwant Singh: Saligram, Jamnadas, Chhotelal, Baksaram, Nandram made manuscripts, miniatures and scrolls. Shivdan Singh: pictures after Kamakala. Mangal Singh: Mulchand and Udairam painted ivory plates. Jai Singh: Ramgopal, Jagmohan, Ramsahay Nepalia.
Look: Iranian, Mughal and Jaipur blend; men with ordinary faces; short women with raised braids; courtesans painted; fine floral borders.

Style	Facts	Painters
Uniara	Naruka thikana; Raoraja Sardar Singh gave patronage; Bundi and Jaipur influence; Mirbaksa's Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman is its best-known picture	Dhima, Mirbaksa, Kashi, Ramlakhan, Bhim
Shekhawati	Jaipur style's wall painting reached it most; havelis built from the mid-19th to early 20th century by merchants at Nawalgarh, Ramgarh, Fatehpur, Lakshmangarh, Mukundgarh, Mandawa, Bissau; called the 'open art gallery'; elephants, horses, wrestling, Krishna lila, Ragaragini, folk tales; blue, pink and kathai colours

Two Jai SinghsMirza Raja Jai Singh, Amer, Rasikapriya for Chandravati (1639) · Sawai Jai Singh, Jaipur, 36 karkhanas with the Suratkhana.
Alwar paintersJamnadas, Chhotelal, Baksaram, Nandram, Saligram (Balwant Singh) · not Jhalawar, Bikaner or Marwar.
Nathdwara and AlwarNathdwara is Mewar · Alwar and Uniara are Dhundhar.

The renowned artist Muhammed Shah was a court artist (Painter) of which Maharaja of Jaipur ?

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✓ (4) Sawai Jai Singh

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