Raja Balwant Singh
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Raja Balwant Singh” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
A ruler sits at worship before a portable shrine to the god Vishnu. He wears only a plain withe dhoti, and his head is shaved except for a small tuft (shikha) that signals his devout nature. This wonderfully intimate image is typical of the work of the painter Nainsukh, who enjoyed a close creative dialogue with his patron, Raja Balwant Singh. Here he provides a rare glimpse of the daily ritual of the ruler.
Read on
The artist Nainsukh hailed from a family of court artists, and he most likely trained under his father, Pandit Seu. His brother Manaku was also an artist, working in Guler, while Nainsukh's two sons, Ranjha and Nikka worked for Raja Raj Singh of Chamba for twenty years, continuing the family tradition. This Seu family style can be traced to several of the hill states and as it travelled, it incorporated learned stylistic traits along the way. These influences were garnered from previous compositions, other itinerant artists, and influence from the various patrons as well. The painter Nainsukh moved from the larger court of Guler where he may or may not have trained, to the lesser court of Jasrota, where he found his main patron: Balwant Singh. Nainsukh worked for Balwant Sing for twenty years until his patron's death, mainly based in Jasrota, a small state affiliated to the larger state of Jammu in the Pahari hills.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- IS.29-1980
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
