1854

Maharao Ram Singh II of Kota Spearing a Buffalo

This painted sketch was most likely a preparatory drawing, but it also stands on its own as a work of art. Maharao Ram Singh II is shown spearing a buffalo, an event that took place at the polo fields of the Kota Palace each year on his birthday. The sketch shows the process by which the Indian artist created his painting: first drawing the main subject, then painting it in with transparent or opaque watercolor. The maharao and his horse were completed before other participants were painted and before some parts of the background were even drawn.