An illustration from a Six Seasons manuscript, Maharana Sajjan Singh in his palace garden, India, Mewar, circa 1880

Maharana Sajjan Singh was sixteen years old when he came to the throne, his reign only lasting ten years due to excessive drinking. Very few paintings from this period survive due to the introduction of photography in the late nineteenth century (see Topsfield 2001, p.283). This painting depicts the Maharana riding through his rose garden with attendants, the poem on the reverse was likely written by him and compares the beauty of the rose garden with the nandanvan of Lord Indra, Lord Rama's garden on the bank of the river Sarayu and Lord Krishna's favourite garden of Braj.

Other leaves from the same series are illustrated in Topsfield 2001, pp.280-4, Habighorst 2011, pp.17-21, fig.5, Bubbar 2012, pp.48-59, nos.13-15. A leaf from the same series showing Sajjan Singh riding on an elephant through his garden was sold in these rooms, 24 October 2017, lot 389.