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Durbar

The Royal Assembly

The Court of Maharaja Man Singh, ca. 1830

As Mughal influence began to decline in the late 18th century, artists, craftspeople, and nearby dynastic kingdoms were attracted to Jodhpur due to its increased stature. This shift is seen in paintings of durbars (royal receptions) staged by the Rathores. The durbar was one of the most important displays of the Rathore’s political and royal vitality. Located in either exquisite halls or courtyards, the durbar was an arena in which the maharaja’s majesty and his noblemen’s loyalty were emphasized. A trend of exchanging artworks as gifts grew out of this period of intense creativity in artistic production and a cross-fertilization of Mughal and Rathore styles, seen in the woven canopy and textiles, finely crafted arms and armor, and 18th- and 19th-century paintings on view.

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