An Illustrated Folio from the Rasikapriya of Keshavdas, Attributable to Ibrahim son of Rukn al-Din, Rajasthan / Bikaner, circa 1685-1692

Krishna is being led by two maidens as Radha speaks with her sakhis, imploring her to recant her annoyance at Krishna's recent poor behavior towards her. The episode depicted in continuous narration in two registers against a simplified background of lightly washed pale blue at

the bottom and light gray at the top.

Radha sits outside of her small pavilion on a marble terrace speaking with two of her confidantes (sakhis) who gesture and ask her to forgive Krishna for his recent thoughtless

behavior towards her. Radha secretly wants to believe their exhortations. At the top of the composition a seemingly weakened and humbled Krishna with his arms outstretched is assisted by two maidens.

The present work can be attributed to Ibrahim, the son of Ruknuddin (active 1680-1698), the preeminent

painter at Bikaner during the third quarter of the 17th Century. Ibrahim and his relative

Nuruddin may have succeeded their father as the principal masters of the Bikaner royal painting

workshops after Ruknuddin's death in 1698.

Another illustration from the same, or very related, Rasikapriya to the current painting, titled "A Lady

and Her Duenna: Page from a Dispersed Rasikapriya (Lover's Breviary)" and attributed there to Ibrahim

is datable to 1685-92 is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York (accession no. 1975.410.3).

The Rasikapriya by Keshavdas was reputedly originally presented to Rajkumar Singh of Orchha in 1591.

Other related illustrations attributed to Ibrahim are in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum (81.192.3), LACMA (The Los Angeles County Museum of Art) (M.75.114.6) and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1975.410.3) in New York.

For other relatable paintings attributable to Ibrahim's contemporary Nuruddin sold at auction, see Christie's New York, September 21, 2007, lot 2 and Christie's London on 27 October 2022, lot 68.