Maharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner (reigned 1669–98) Receives a Courtier

c. 1690

Maharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner (reigned 1669–98) Receives a Courtier, c. 1690. Ruknuddin (Indian, active c. 1666–97). Ink and gum tempera on paper; page: 25 x 18.3 cm (9 13/16 x 7 3/16 in.); miniature: 20 x 14.3 cm (7 7/8 x 5 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.191 Ruknuddin is one of the most celebrated artists of the Bikaner painting atelier. His exquisite mastery of brushwork and portraiture can be noted even in the spontaneity of an informal study. From the same illustrious family of Bikaner artists, he was a second cousin of Nur Muhammad, who created the portrait drawing of Maharaja Rai Singh of Bikaner (1987.1100). Areas of white indicate places where Ruknuddin made corrections; the king’s right foot, for example.