Maharaja Bakhat Singh (r.1751-52) at archery practice, India, Jodhpur, circa 1751-52

Peter Cochrane (1913-2004)

Bakhat Singh, the younger son of Maharaja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur is infamous for murdering his own father in 1724 in conspiracy with his brother Abhai Singh, and as a reward he received authority over Nagaur. He later turned on his brother to become Maharaja of Jodhpur. According to British army officer James Tod, Bakhat Singh was himself murdered within a year by a vengeful niece.

As is to be expected from a ruler whose reign lasted only a year, paintings of Bakhat Singh are rare. Two other portraits of Maharaja Bakhat Singh at archery practice were published by Rosemary Crill (Crill 2001, p.92) and Sonika Soni & Anil Relia (Soni and Relia 2016, pp.104-5), and a third was sold at Christie's London, 19 March 2014, lot 1111. Two early nineteenth-century copy of the present paintings were sold at Christie's London, 21 July 2011, lot 703, and Bonhams Knightsbridge, 23 November 2011, lot 330.