Nihâl Chand (1710–1782) was an Indian painter and poet who produced some of the best known examples of
Rajput painting
Rajput painting, painting of the regional Hindu courts during the Mughal era, roughly from the end of the 16th century to the middle of the 19th century. Traditionally, Rajput painting is further divided into Rajasthan and Pahari painting whic ...
. He was the chief painter at the court of
Kishangarh
Kishangarh is a city and a Municipal Council located in the Ajmer district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is the historic capital of the Kishangarh State, founded in 1611 AD by Kishan Singh of the Rathore clan of Rajputs. It is served ...
during the time of the ruler Savant Singh (also known as Nagari Das). He is attributed with a small group of paintings in a distinctive style, produced for Raja Savant Singh, and mostly depicting the king and
Bani Thani
Bani Thani was a singer and poet in Kishangarh in the time of Raja Sawant Singh (1748–1764), whose mistress she became. After he abdicated the throne the couple retired to a comfortable life in Vrindavan, a place associated with the life of Kr ...
as
Krishna
Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
and
Radha
Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...
respectively. These are "widely held to be the finest of all Rajasthani miniatures", and are unusually large for their type, reaching 19 by 14 inches (48 x 36 cm). He was a devout follower of
Vallabha
Vallabha, also known as Vallabhācārya or Vallabha Dīkṣita (May 7, 1478 – July 7, 1530 CE), was the founder of the Krishna, Kr̥ṣṇa-centered Pushtimarg, Puṣṭimārga sect of Vaishnavism, and propounded the philosophy of Shuddhadvait ...
who had founded a Krishna-centric philosophy that surfaces repeatedly in his paintings as he signifies the deity with light blue skin. He arrived in Kishangarh between 1719 and 1726.
[Kossak, 21]
Gallery
File:7 attrib to Nihal Chand Raja Savant Singh and Bani Thani as Krishna and Radha Artwork ca 1760 Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.jpg, Raja Savant Singh and Bani Thani as Krishna and Radha, ca. 1760
File:Radha and Krishna in the boat of love - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Radha and Krishna in the boat of love''
File:Maker unknown, India - Krishna and Radha - Google Art Project.jpg, Krishna and Radha, opaque watercolor and gold on cotton, ca. 1750
File:3 Nichal Chand (attr) Krishna Celebrates Holi with Radha and the Gopis 1750-60 Boston MFA.jpg, ''Krishna Celebrates Holi with Radha and the Gopis'', 1750–60, Boston MFA
References
Further reading
Bani Thani* Harle, J.C., ''The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent'', 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press Pelican History of Art,
* (see index: p. 148-152; plate 56, 70)
External links
Rajput culture
1710 births
1782 deaths
People from Ajmer district
18th-century Indian painters
Miniature painting
Indian male painters
Painters from Rajasthan
{{India-artist-stub