Portrait of Rigveda
by Mewar court artist
circa 1720 CE
Gouache on paper
15 x 9.2 in. (38.1 x 23.4 cm.)
Each portrait shows veda as bulky men (but of different groups) and appear to be learned Brahmins. Facial feature of Rigveda corresponds the contemporary age and look of the patron Maharana Sangram Singh (r. 1710-1734).
All the vedas are clad in dhoti and hold their respective veda in the form of bound horizontal manuscripts. The colophon in Sanaskrit above each portrait gives the physical attributes like the
body colour and shape of eyes and basic character of each swarup of veda. Foreground of each manifests the attributes as per their colophons. These portrait are done in a refined style and presents intense imagination and expressive power of the master artist of the period, and also reflect level of understanding, aesthetics and high tastes of the patron.