Unidentifiable Mewar noble riding a horse
by Mewar court artist
circa 1830 CE
Khakha or drawing on paper
7 x 10 in. (17.8 x 25.4 cm.)
The technique of traditional paintings includes six stages, where after preparing the base artist begins with sketching and composing the frame which is then followed by colour filling, shading, final lining and ornamentation. In a traditional workshop set up, an artist was required to master each stage and thus underwent a long and rigorous training, especially of brush lining. Line drawings are known as khakha, or the trace and were prepared (usually as the first stage of painting) for study.