Portrait of Maharaja Rai Singh of Bikaner (reigned 1574-1612)

About the Artwork

Drawings such as this served as models for formal painted portraits of Mughal and Rajput royalty in court workshops. The confident contour lines, delicate shading, and subtle facial expression are the work of the master artist Nur Muhammad (active 1570s–1630s), identified in a Persian inscription on the back. He came from a distinguished family of artists who settled in Bikaner by the mid-1500s. Nur Muhammad also worked at the Mughal court, notably for the mother of Emperor Akbar (reigned 1565–1605). His descendants continue to be recognized as the master artists of Bikaner up to the present day.

Inscriptions

Devanagari inscription on the verso reads ‘sri maharaja sri rai singh ji ri sabi chhe’; Nastaliq inscription on the verso reads ‘dast-i-nur mohammad-bin umar-ud-din’

Exhibition history

Indian Gallery 242 Rotation – April-November 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 2-November 18, 2018). Paintings of Bikaner – Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 7, 2019-April 5, 2020).

Quick Overview

Artist: Nur Muhammad (Indian, active c. 1580–1630)
Date: c. 1590
Medium: Ink and gum tempera on paper
Dimensions: Image: 20.5 x 14.6 cm (8 1/16 x 5 3/4 in.); Paper: 42.4 x 26 cm (16 11/16 x 10 1/4 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Credit line: Gift of Flora D. Glass and Elwood G. Glass Jr.
Accession no.: 1987.1100

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.