1720

The Six Sons of Maharaja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur on a Visit

Four young men and two toddlers sit on a terrace with an older man. They are the six sons of Maharaja Ajit Singh, ruler of Jodhpur (reigned 1707–24). The older man is probably the maharaja himself, who was murdered by his two eldest sons when they seized the throne of Marwar only a few years after this painting was made. In the garden in front of the terrace, a male peacock spreads its tail to dance for a white peahen and male pigeons puff and bob to impress the females. In the symbolic language often used by Rajput artists, these mating birds may indicate that an engagement or marriage is being celebrated.