c. 1735

The Stallion Kitab

The large and resplendent stallion Kitab is painted in rich opaque watercolors, while the four ghostly grooms who attend him are rendered in thinner, transparent paint, leaving no doubt as to the real subject of this painting. Like many artists, the painter Bhavanidas traveled from court to court working for different patrons. Before going to Kishangarh, Bhavanidas worked for the Mughal court in Delhi, and here he draws the grooms' clothing and faces in a Mughal style. Such itinerant artists were a major factor in the blending of regional painting styles across India.